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MAJ (OM €EI^"i^.IBM€)WK 



HIS' 



OF THE 



LATE WAR 



BETWEEN THE 



UNITED STATES AND GREAT BRITAIN. 



BF JOHJK* LEWIS TffOMSO^T. 



FIFTH, AND AN IMPROVED EDITION- 



PHILADELPHIA: • 

PUBLISHED BY THOMAS DESILVER, 

Also by M. Carey & Son, A, Small, and M. Thomas, Philadelphia; 
E. Weems and J. Milligan, Georgetown (D. C); D. Kennedy & 
Sons, and John Steward, Alexandria; P. Cottom, Richmond 
fVa.); R. Cottom, Petersburgh (Va.) ; Caleb Bonsai, Norfolk 
(Va.); R. C. Weightman, Washington City; J. T. Vance, Coale 
& Maxwell, and F. Lucas, Baltimore ; Patterson & Lambdin, 
Pittsburgh (Pa.) ; W. Graydon, Harrisburgh (Pa.) ; and A. T. 
Goodrich, New York. 

Clark & jRaser, Printersy 78 J^orth Fifth St. 

May— 1818. 






T4 



/ 






.IHstrict of Pennsylvania, to wit: 

Be it remembered, That on the eleventh day of April, in 
the forty-second year of the independence of the United States 
of America, A. D. 1818, John Lewis Thomson and Thomas De- 
silver of the said district, have deposited in this office the title 
of a book, the right whereof they claim as proprietors, in the 
words following-, to wit : • 

^ « 

'' Historical Sketches of the Late" War between the United 
States and Great Britain. By John Lewis Thomson. Fifth, 
and an improved Edition." 

In conformity to the act of the congress of the United States, 
entitled, " An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing 
the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and pro- 
prietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned." — 
And also to the act, entitled, " An act supplementary to an act, 
entitled, * An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing 
the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and pro- 
prietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned,' 
and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, en- 
graving, and etching historical and other prints." 

D. CALDWELL, 

Clerk of the District of Pennsylvania. 






TO THE 

HON. JAMES MONROE, 

SECRETARY OF STATE, OF THE UNITED STATES, 

WHOSE EFFORTS, 

A.S WELL ON AN EMBASSY TO THE COURT OF ST. JAMES, 
AS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, 

i'o negotiate an honourable Adjustment of those Differences which 
resulted in the late Contest with Great Britain, 

WBRE characterised by the most IJfDEFATIGABLE ZEAL; 

AND WHO PRESIDED WITFI DISTINGUISHED ABILITY 
IN THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR, 

At the Peri'od most memorable for the Achievements of the 
American arms ; . 

THIS WORK, 

IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, BY 

THE AUTHOR. 

Philadelphia, July 4^ 1816. 



PREFACE 

TO 

THE FIRST EDITION. 

WHEN proposals were issued for the publi- 
cation of this work^ some time after the ratifica- 
tion of the treaty of peace with Great Britain, 
its contemplated plan embraced nothing more 
than the compilation of hasty sketches of the 
leading events of the war, arranged in chrono- 
logical order, and with a proper regard to the 
preservation of the principal features, and the 
general characters, of the land and naval en- 
gagements. The author was not long in disco- 
vering that infinite pains and excessive labour 
were necessaiy, to the collection of materials 
from which these sketches, however concise, 
might be made, with that fidelity which such 
subjects require. 

His resources at that period, though stamped 
with the character of authenticity, were extreme- 
ly limited, and he found it necessary to intimate 
his intentions to officers of the army and navy, 
who had been engaged in many of the events 
which it was his design to perpetuate, and upon 
the truth of whose statements he could implicitly 



11 PREFACE. 

rely. These intimations were followed by many 
assurances of assistance from gentlemen of all 
ranks in the service, and by promises of full, 
and accurate, accounts of the operations of the 
fleets and armies. From such fruitful and au- 
thentic sources, the author could not fail to elicit 
the best possible information, and though he did 
not immediately contemplate an extension of the 
limits of the work, he determined to put it more 
in the form of a familiar and connected naiTa- 
tive, than might have been expected from its 
title, without assuming, however, the style of a 
history. 

The length and number of the journals and 
statements transmitted to him, not only tended 
to increase his labours, but produced much more 
delay in the completion of the work, and pro- 
longed its appearance beyond the day on which 
it was thought it would, in all probability, be 
published. 

To the same cause is to be attributed the cir- 
cumstance of its having attained the three hun- 
dredth page, before the account of the northern 
campaign was fully detailed, and to that circum- 
stance he must refer his readers, for the concise- 
ness of the description of the capture of Wash- 
ington, the attack upon Baltimore, the operations 
upon the whole southern coast, and of the bril- 



PREFACE. ill 

Kant and unparalleled repulse of the enemy be- 
fore New Orleans. Limited as these descriptions 
are, it became necessary to add seventy-two 
pages to the number promised, and the expenses 
of the work have, in consequence, been so much 
increased, that without incurring an absolute 
loss, its bulk could not possibly be any further 
extended. 

The Author cannot conclude this Preface^ 
without assuring his readers that no efforts have 
been neglected to ascertain the principal facts 
connected with the events of the war. Perse- 
vering as he has been, however, he fears that 
omissions have been made, or that some mis- 
statements may have crept into the work, and 
to such he begs the indulgence of those persons 
who were concerned in the events, as the attain- 
ment of the knowledge of such facts too fre- 
quently eludes the most industrious research, 
and the contradictory accounts, with which he 
has been supplied, have often thrown him into 
peiplexing embarrassments. 



PREFACE 

TO 

THE FIFTH EDITION. 

SINCE tlie publication of the first edition of 
this work, the author has been constantly em- 
ployed in collecting further materials from which 
to describe the sortie from fort Erie, and the 
siege and defence of New Orleans. Through 
the politeness of several gentlemen, whose names 
he does not feel himself authorized, nor is he 
indeed permitted, to mention, he has been ena- 
bled to detail the operations of the rival armies, 
more at length, at each of those places. He has 
had it in his power also to enlarge upon the ac- 
counts, before given, of other important and 
brilliant events, and to correct several errors, 
which, notwithstanding the most studied precau- 
tions, seldom fail to insinuate themselves into 
all works of this nature. From these, however, 
even in the present edition, he cannot have the 
presumption to avow himself wholly free; but he 
has, nevertheless, the satisfaction of declaring, 
that many of his statement? have received the 
entire approbation of officers of rank, to whom 
the perusal of the first edition has been sub- 
mitted. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 

ON presenting to the public a fifth edition of the 
Historical Sketches of the Late War, the subscriber thinks 
it incumbent on him to state, that notwithstanding its price 
has been reduced from Two Dollars to One Dollar and 
Seventy-five Cents, bound, the work has undergone a very 
careful revision by the author, and without any diminu- 
tion of the number of pages. This reduction of the price 
owes its cause to the publication, at a lower price, of a 
similar work, after the appearance of a former impres- 
sion of this, with an evident intention of checkina: its 
sale, and limiting the just profits of the proprietor. To 
obviate as much as possible the consequences of a compe- 
tition, ungenerous in itself and subversive of the general 
principles of the trade, he has so far lessened the expenses 
of the work, as to enable him to put it at its present price, 
without injury to his interests. The illiberality of the com- 
petition alluded to, is highly aggravated by the fact of the 
compilation having been made so much after the manner 
of the Historical Sketches, that if the copy-right has not 
been actually violated, the privileges which the law so 
justly secures to the proprietor of a work, have been gla- 
ringly infringed. 

THOMAS DESILVER, 



A 2 



CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER I. 

rxDiAN hostilities-Battle on the AVabash-Conduct of the Rvl 
tish Cabinet and cm sers— Ueclaritinn r^f ,. • ^^^" 

Britain-Invasion of Canada-Fatl of FoH '^^^f ^"^^f . Great 
Skirmish near Aux Can^^-JSlM^frth J^^ 
at Brownstown-Evacuation of Sandwich-BattTe o^ 
-Fort Chicago-Surrender of Detroit, p^Tfl 

i CHAPTER n. 

i Disposition of the Naval Forces— Escane of th^ r«r,of * *• 
I Letters of Marque and ReprisairlXas'en'"^^^^^^^^ 

ships— Essex captures the Alert— Ene-aP-emonfLv f^ 

Constitution an/Guerriere-Pur^uit^oy^h^/S Mer^^^^^ e" 
?agement on the St. Lawrence-Capture of the British hr 
Detroit and Caledonia, on Lake Erie-^Wasplptlst^^^^^^^^^ 
-Both taken by the Poictiers-Loss of the United Stipes- 
schooners ^autllus and Vixen ^miea states 

* p. 55 

CHAPTER m. 

I Hostilities^ of the Creek Indians-Fight near Davis' Creek-B.t 
tie of the Lotchway town. '-iceic— Bat- 

CHAPTER IV. 

Organization of the Northwestern army— Its disno^ltinn n 
mand ^-n to general Harrison-De'^ence or/ortHa^^^^^^^ 
Siege ofFortWayne-ExpeditionagainsttheIndiantovv™i^ 

CHAPTER V. 

""ISiSisSwf S' ^.^fi-^-I^-th of Logan-Battle oiMhe 
Mississinewa— Left wing of the army moves from Defiance 

^anv ^^P^^^-^^^^^^i«» -^ the Kentucky brigade Tnto In! 



\ail CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER VI. 

American forces on the Niagara and St. Lawrence — An affair 
vipon the latter — Expedition against Gananoque — Bombardment 
of Ogdensburg — Attack upon it — Disposition of the forces on 
the Niagara — Description of Queenstown — Battle of Queens- 
town Heights — Death of general Brock — Defeat of the Ame- 
rican forces — Cannonade between Fort George and Fort Nia- 
gara — An affair below Ogdensburg — Pike's incursion into Ca- 
nada — Bom.bardment of Fort Niagara — Capture of the enemy's 
baggage at St. Regis — General Smyth's Proclamation — The 
British batteries opposite Black Rock, stormed and carried — 
Abandoned by the Americans, they open a fire on the battery 
at the Rock, p. 66 

CHAPTER Vn. 

The Navy — Third naval victory, the United States over the Bri- 
tish frigate the Macedonian — Progress of the naval establish- 
ment on Lake Ontario — Chauncey's squadron pursues the Royal 
George into ICingston harbour, and bombards that town — 
Growler captures an enemy's sloop — Fight between the British 
sloop of war Charybdis and the privateer Blockade — The Or- 
ders in Council exchanges broadsides with the British sloop of 
war Opossum — The Tom captures the Townsend — The Bona 
vanquishes a 22 gun ship — The Dolphin engages and carries 
two armed vessels — Fourth naval victory, the Constitution over 
the British frigate the Java, p. 90 



CHAPTER Vni. 

Contemplated movement of the British and Indians from Maiden 
to Frenchtown — Battle between the advance of both armies, 
and the defeat of the British — Capture of general Winchester's 
force, and massacre of the prisoners — Siege of Fort Meigs- 
Dudley's victory — His defeat and death — Sortie from the gar- 
rison — Siege of Fort Meigs raised — Council of the Indian chiefs 
— Colonel Ball destroys a party of the hostile Indians, p. 100 



CHAPTER TX. 

Preparations for the campaign of 1813, by the Northwestern 
Army and the Army of the Centre — Expedition against Eliza- 
bethtown, Canada — Capture of Og'densburg by the British- 
Batteries at Black Rock — Concentration of forces at Sacket's 
Harbour — Description of the town and harbour of Little York, 
capital of Upper Canada — Embarkation of general Dearborn's 
army at Sacket's Harbour — American fleet under commodore 



;i 



CONTENTS. iX 

Chauncey sails thence — Arrives at the mouth of York Harbour 
— British force under g-eneral Sheaft'e — Its disposition — Landing 
of tJie American ad\ ance — Fight in the Woods — Landing of 
tlie main force — British retreat to their garrison — Their works 
outside, taken — They abandon their foi-t — Explosion of the 
magazine— Deatli of general Pike — The Americans enter the 
garrison— Command devolves on colonel Pearce — General 
Sheafte withdraws his forces from the town, and retreats across 
the Don — His rear guard annoyed by lieutenant Riddle — Capi- 
tulation of the militia and capture of York — The British destroy 
the military storehouse, whilst negotiating for terms, and set 
fire to a vessel of war — The Americans leave York and proceed 
to Niagara — Fleet sails to Sacket's Harbour, for reinforcements 
— An expedition to the head of Lake Ontario — Fleet returns — 
Its disposition before Newark — Attack upon and captiu-e of Fort 
George — Fleet on Lake Erie — Capture of Fort Erie — Defeat 
of generals Chandler and AVinder — Attack on Sacket's Harbour 
by sir George Prevost — His repulse, p. 117 



CHAPTER X. 

(ieneral Dearborn retires from the command of the Northern 
Army — Command of Fort George devolves on general Boyd — 
Capture of the Lady Murray — Destruction of Sodus — Attempt 
to land at Oswego— Affair at Beaver Dams — Escape of the mi- 
litia prisoners from the head of the Lake — Massacre of lieu- 
tenant Eldridge — Affair between the British Indians and Young 
Cornplanter — British again attack Black Rock — Capture of an 
enemy's gini boat— Fort George invested — American outposts 
attacked — Second expedition to York — British capture the 
Growler and Eagle — Enter Champlain, pillage and destroj* the 
private houses — Chase of the British fleet on Lake Ontario — 
Encampment at Fort George, and re-posscssion of Newark by 
the enemy — He retires to his entrenchments — Capture of a 
British officer by an American sentinel, p. 148 



CHAPTER XI. 

The Northwestern Army — British appear again before Fort Meigs 
— Defence of Fort Stephenson, Lower Sandusky — Capture of 
the British fleet on Lake Erie — Northwestern Army reinforced 
from Kentucky — Is transported by the American fleet to Canada 
— Capture of Maiden — I'he Americans enter Sandwich — Pur- 
sue the British up I^a Tranche — Skirmish in Chatham — Battle 
of the Thames — Defeat and capture of general Proctor's army 
— Escape of that officer — Death of Tecumseh — Destruction of 
the Moravian Town — The army sails for and arrives at Buffa- 
Ipe, />. 159 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Plan of operations on the St. Lawrence — Concentration of the 
forces on Grenadier Island — British abandon the investment of 
Fort George — Descent of the St. Lawrence — Skirmishes in its 
course — Battle of Chrystler's Fields — The left wing- of the 
Northern ai-my retires to winter quarters — The right wing 
marches through the Chateaugay woods — Is attacked by the 
British — Engages and repulses them — Goes also into winter 
quarters — Tlie Americans evacuate Fort George and destroy 
Newark — Surrender of Fort Niagara — Destruction of Le wistown 
and Buffaloe, p. 177 



CHAPTER XIII. 

The Navy — Hornet challenges Bonne Citoyenne — Is chased from 
St. Salvador — Engages and captures the sloop of war Peacock 
— Arrives at New York — Return of the frigate Chesapeake — r 
Her cruise — Arrival and departure of the President and Con- 
gress — Death of captain Lawrence and loss of the Chesapeake 
— Conduct of the privateers — Lieutenant St. Clair in Chesapeake 
Bay — Fight between the Commodore Decatur and the sloop of 
war Dominica, p. 1^3 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Blockade of the Delaware River and of Chesapeake Bay — Attack 
upon Lewistown, on the former — Affair below Lewistown — 
Repulse of the enemy near Morris River — The gun boats attack 
two frigates — Engagement on the Delaware — Depredations in 
Chesapeake Bay — Frequent failures of the enemy to land — 
Affair at Frenchtown — Destruction of Havre de Grace, and cf 
Georgetown and Fredericktown — Blockade of other ports — 
Loss of tlie revenue cutter Surveyor — Action between the 
gun boats and three frigates — Defence of Crany Island — Hamp- 
ton assaulted and plundered, p. 204 



CHAPTER XV. 

British land at Ocracoke and Portsmouth — Capture two letters of 
marque — Distribution of admiral Warren's fleet — United States' 
schooner Asp — A fishing smack, the Yankee, captures a British 
tender, the Eagle — The frigates United States and Macedonian, 
and the sloop of war. Hornet, blockaded at New London — Mid- 
shipman Ten-Eyke — British at Saybrook — Engagement in Con- 
necticut Sound — Wareham and Scituate — Occupation of East- 



CONTENTS. XI 

lioi-t, Moose island — Attack upon Stonlnglon — British claim the 
territory east of the Penobscot, and occupy Castine — Loss of 
the United States' frigate Adams, p. 224 



CHAPTER XVI. 

The Navy — United States' gnm brig Argus, captured by the sloop 
of war Pehcan — The Boxer and the Enterprise — Allen and 
Burrows — Commodore Rodgers and the Plantagenet — Constitu- 
tion chased into MarbJehead — Commodore Lewis — Cruise of the 
Essex frigate — Her capture — United States' sloop of v-ar Pea- 
cock, vanquishes the British brig of war Epervier — Ciaise of 
the new sloop of war Wasp — Her conquest over the Reindeer — 
She sinks the Avon, p. 235 



CHAPTER XVn. 

Proposed plan of operations in Lower Canada — The army quit the 
quarters at French Mills — Incursion of the British to Malone — 
Smugglers — Movement against La Colle — Concentration of the 
British forces at Isle aux Noix — General Wilkinson's reoal — 
Establishment of a battery at Otter creek — British appear at its 
mouth — are repulsed — Operations on Ontario — Lieutenant Dud- 
ley — Defence of Port Oswego — Second appearance of the Bri- 
tish there — Attack upon Charlottetown, on Gennessee river — 
British land at Poultney\ulle — Blockade of Sacjcet's Harbour — 
An engagement at Sandy creek, and capture of the whole Bri- 
tish force — The British fleet retire to Kingston — The Americans 
blockade them — An affair near Odelltown — Death of colonel 
Forsvthe — Expedition against Long Point, Canada — Colonel 
Baubee taken prisoner — Incursion to Long Wood, Canada, and 
defeat of the British, p. 255 



CHAPTER XVni. 

Assemblage of the left division of the army at Black Rock and 
BufFaloe — Capture of Fort Erie — Americans encamp at Street's 
creek — Skirmish with the enemy's rear guard — Affairs of pic- 
quets — Battle of Chippewa — British retreat to Ten Mile Creek 
-—American army encamp at Queenstown — Death of general 
Swift — Movement upon Fort Georg-e — General Brown retires to 
Cliippewa creek— Battle of Niagara, p. 272 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Defences of Fort Erie extended — Invested by the enemy — The 
British land below Buffaloe — and are repulsed at Conejockeda 
creek — Affairs of outposts — Death of major Morgan — Assault 



XU CONTENTS. 

Upon Fort Erie — The besiegers driven back to their works — 
IjOss of tlie schooners Somers and Ohio — Renewal of the can- 
nonade and bombardment, p. 303 



CHAPTER XX. 

Invasion of the American territory by sir Georg-e Prevost — Battle 
of the Saranac — Defeat and capture of the British fleet on Lake 
Champlain — Plattsburg"h evacuated — Continuation of the siege 
of Fort Erie — The besieged make a sortie from their works, 
and storm those of the besiegers — The British raise the siege 
and retire to Chippewa — Engag-ement at Lyons' creek — Des- 
tmction of Fort Erie by the Americans, and evacuation of Up- 
per Canada — Operations against Michilimackinac — Loss of the 
United States' vessels, Scorpion and Tigi'ess — Expedition into 
Canada, under general M'xVrthur, p. 316 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Repeated engagements, between the gun boat Flotilla, and the 
British vessels in the Patuxent — Bladensburg — Capture of 
AVasliington — Of Alexandria — Death of sir Peter Parker — At- 
tack upon Baltimore — Death of general Ross, and repulse of 
his army — Blockade and siege of New Orleans — Defeat of the 
British forces there — Termination of the war, by a treaty of 
peace and amity, negotiated at Ghent, p. 332 



CHAPTER XXn. 

The Navy — Loss of the United States' frigate President — The 
Constitution engages, and captures, the British frigate Cyane, 
and the sloop of war Levani? — Capture of the sloop of war Pen- 
g-uin, by the Hornet, . p. 361 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES 



OF THE 



LATE WAR, ^c 



CHAPTER I. 



Indian hostilities—-Battle on the Wabash — Conduct of the 
British Cabinet and Cruisers — Declaration of War 
against Great Britain — Invasion of Canada — Fall of 
Fort Michilimackinac — Skirmish near Aux Canards 
— M'^Arthur's Excursion — Skirmish at Brownstown — ■ 
Evacuation of Sandwich — Battle of Magauga — Fort 
Chicago — Surrender of Detroit. 

About the close of the year 1811, the Indian affairs 
on the southern and northwestern fiontiers of the United 
States, assumed an aspect of a much more alarming nature 
than had marked any of the previous depredations of the 
neighbouring tribes. Incessant incursions, were followed 
by the extinction of whole families, and the several nations 
seemed emulous of excelling each other in acts of the 
greatest horror. An unextinguishable hostility was mani- 
fested by the most powerful chiefs and warriors, whose 
enmity towards the frontier inhabitants, was excited, and 
kept alive, by an industrious circulation of inflammatory 
addresses, and alluring gifts. The conduct of the British 
traders, was far from being consistent with the pacific dis- 

B 



14 IIISTORICAX. SKETCHES 

position, which their government had been professing; and 
the facility with which the Indians became possessed of 
every description of offensive weapons, known to be be- 
yond their means, either to manufacture or to purchase, 
led to suspicions of their having been supplied by its ap- 
pointed agents. The result of investigations, made by the 
governors of Ohio, and of the Michigan and Illinois terri- 
tories, gave strong confirmation of these suspicions, and it 
was well ascertained that great quantities of arms, and 
ammunition, had been delivered to the different nations, 
contiguous to the British posts. 

The influence of a Shawanese, who styled himself 
"The Prophet," land who neglected no means to excite 
the most violent animosities against the people of the 
United States, had produced among the Indians, on the 
borders of the Wabash, a disposition to massacre and 
plunder, to so enormous an extent, that the vigorous in- 
terference of" the government was no longer to be with- 
held. Measures were therefore immediately adopted, in 
conjunction with governor W. H. Harrison, to repel by 
force, outrages, which could not be prevented by treaty. 
The militia of Indiana, and a regiment of United States 
infantry, commanded by colonel (since general) John P. 
Boyd, were accordingly ordered to march under governor 
Harrison, to the Prophet's town to demand restoration of 
the plunder, which the Indians had seized, and to reduce 
them to such terms, as should secure the future peace of 
that territory. In the month of November, of 1811, this 
body of troops were within four miles of the Prophet's 
town, (having already marched thirty-four days) before 
the Indians had any expectation of seeing them ; when one 
of the chiefs came out, and proposed that governor Harri- 
son should encamp near them until morning, at wiiich time 
the Prophet would willingly enter into a treaty of peace. 
This proposal was agreed to, and the troops were encamp- 
ed in line of battle, with ordervS to keep on their accoutre- 
ments, and to lie upon their arms, so that they might be 
ready for action without one moment's delay. At four 
o'clock on the morning of the seventh, the camp was at- 
tacked with great fury, by the savages, at a point where 
the bayonet, however, soon dispersed them, and where 
three Indians were found within the line of sentinels seek- 
ing the commander. The morning was excessively dark. 



or" THE LlTE WAR. 15 

and the men could only be distinguished by the watch- 
word, or the flashes of the musketry. By the aid of this 
momentary light, the Indians were seen crowding into the 
camp, but they were entirely routed by several vigorous 
and intrepid charges. The conduct of colonel Boyd and 
the fourth regiment, after the action had become more ge- 
neral, intimidated and put the Indians to flight: at the 
daM^n of day they were closely pursued, and numbers of 
them killed. The cavalry were brought into action, but 
the savages fled from them in great confusion, abandoned 
their town, into which they had been driven, and escaped 
across the river. Fifty-three Indians were lying dead 
about the encampment, and their loss in killed and wound- 
ed, was estimated at 150. Of the fourth regiment 77 were 
killed and wounded. The loss of the whole force amount- 
ed, from the most accurate account, to 187. Most of the 
militia under governor Harrison, behaved with great cou- 
rage and bravery; and to colonel Boyd, whose experience 
in the Mahrattah (India) service, led to such an expecta- 
tion, is much of the success of this battle to be attributed.* 
Tranquillity being now restored to the territory of In- 
diana, the troops returned to fort Harrison, and the mili- 
tia to their homes. Many months had not elapsed, how- 
ever, before the Prophet, in connexion with his brother, 
Tecumseh, a chief of great valour, and of equal ambition, 
threatened a renewal of hostilities, not only against the 
inhabitants of Indiana, but of the adjacent territories. To 
guard, against future encroacliments from the savages, 
and to protect such of the inhabitants as. had yet escaped 
their fury, it was necessary that ihe peace establishment 
should be aug;niented, and new regiments raised, of a na- 
ture to cope with the Indian warfare. Indications of hos- 
tility to the interests of the United State's, were about this 
time evinced in the conduct, as well of the British minis- 

* In this action the Indians wei*e commanded by Wldte Looriy 
Stone Eater, and Wynemack, a Potawatomie chief, who was slain 
afterwai'ds (in November, 1812) by Tecic??iseh's nephew, a chief of 
the name of Logan, attached to the northwestern army, at fort 
"Winchester. Tecumseh was absent from his tribe on a visit to the 
Creeks and Chickasaws, and the Prophet remained in his town, 
during' the engagement, offering his intercessions with the Great 
Spiritj for the success of his arms. 



16 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

try, as of their public ships of war, on the American coast, 
in neutral ports, and on the ocean. 

In the event of a more decided character being given 
to this state of relatio*ns, between the United States, and 
Great Britain, and the Indians, the necessity of a larger 
army would become still more urgent. In providing 
against these threatening evils, the second session of the 
twelfth congress had been protracted to an unusual length, 
and, on finding remonstrances to be unavailing, the Presi- 
dent, on the first of June, 1812, laid before the two houses 
a detail of the various enormities committed against this 
nation by the British government, and the officers repre- 
senting it. Their immediate attention was required to 
the subject, as it was thought necessary, by the greatest 
proportion of the people, that such encroaching injuries, 
should at last be resisted by the most effectual means. 
Documents being in possession of the" executive, which 
placed the insulting pi^ctices of the British, against the 
commerce and national honour of the United States, be- 
yond all doubt, the communication set forth, 

" That the cruisers of that nation had been in the con- 
" tinned practice of violating the American flag on the 
" great highway of nations, and of seizing and carrying 
" off persons sailing under it; not in the exercise of a bel- 
" ligerent right, founded on the law of nations — against 
" an enemy, but of a municipal prerogative over British 
'* subjects; 

" That they had been in the practice also of violating 
" the peace and the rights of our coasts, by hovering over 
" and harassing our entering and departing commerce, and 
" that to the most insulting pretensions they had added 
" the most lawless proceedings in our very harbours; and 
" wantonly spilt American blood within the sanctuary of 
" our territorial jurisdiction ; 

" That they were aiming to sacrifice our commercial in- 
" terests, and were laying waste our neutral trade, not be- 
*' cause we supplied their enemy, but by carrying on a war 
" against our friendly commerce that they might them- 
" selves pursue an intercourse with their enemy ; 

" That they were plundering our vessels on the high 
" seas under pretended blockades, without the necessary 
"presence of an adequate force to maintain them; and 
" that to these transcendent acts of injustice the cabinet 



OF THE LATE WAR. IT 

• of Great Britain added at length the sweeping system of 
" blockade under the name of orders in council, which had 
" been moulded to suit its political views, its commercial 
"jealousies or the avidity of British cruisers; 

" That at the very moment when their public minister 
" was hoJding the language of friendship and inspiring 
" confidence in the sincerity of the negotiation with 
" which he was charged, a secret agent of his government 
" was employed in intrigues, having for their object a sub- 
" version of our government and a dismemberment of our 
" union ; 

" That the warfare which was just renewed by the sa- 
" vages on our frontiers, which spared neither age nor sex, 
" and was distinguished by features peculiarly shocking to 
" humanity, could not be referred to without connecting 
" their hostility with the influence of British traders and 
" garrisons, nor without recollecting the authenticated ex- 
" amples of the interpositions of the officers and agents of 
" that government." And, 

" That in fine, on the side of Great Britain, there was 
" a state of war against the United States; and on the 
." side of the United States a state of peace towards Great 
" Britain." 

The committee of foreign relations, to whom this mes- 
sage was referred, reported a manifesto to the house, in 
which, after recapitulating these grievances, they recom- 
mended, as the only measure to prevent future aggression, 
an immediate appeal to arms; and on the 18th day of June, 
an act was passed, declaring war against the kingdom of 
Great Britain and Ireland, and the dependencies thereof, 
which received the executive sanction. 

A small army, consisting of the 4th regiment of infan- 
try, and three regiments of Ohio volunteers, was ordered, 
under the command of brigadier-general Hull, to protect 
the frontiers against the incursions of the savages. After 
the declaration of war, this force, being nearest to the 
most convenient point of irivasion, was directed to repair 
to the town of Detroit, on the river of that name, and op- 
posite Sandwich, a beautiful and extensive village in Up- 
per Canada. 

Oil the fifth of July, after a tedious and fatiguing march 
of thirty-five days, during which he was obliged to fortify 
his camp, at every position which he occupied at'hight, 

B 2 



18 IlISTOmCAL SKETCHES 

to prevent a surprise from a party of Indians, who, aided 
by the British, had closely and constantly reconnoitred 
him, and who had planned an attack upon Detroit, which 
the approach of his army frustrated, general Hull ar- 
rived at that post with 2,500 men. He had no sooner 
garrisoned the American shore of the Detroit, than the 
British began to throw up breast-works, and to erect bat- 
teries, on the opposite side. The first of these was de- 
stroyed by a well directed fire from the fort, and the per- 
sons employed at it, were obliged precipitately to retire ; 
a second, which was situated about three miles below, was 
destroyed in like manner, by a few pieces of cannon de- 
spatched for that purpose, and worked with so much skill, 
that the enemy was compelled to abandon his design, of 
fortifying at that point. 

Active preparations were noAv making for an immediate 
invasion of Canada; boats of large capacity were con- 
structed ; and the passage of the whole army was to be 
effected at the same instant. The width of the river 
being favourable to the crossing of the troops, either above 
or below the point, selected to oppose their landing, the 
enemy was allowed, on his third attempt, to erect with- , 
out annoyance, a battery of seven small cannon, and 
two mortars. These arrangements being effected, the 
embarkation took place on the 12th, and the army land- 
ing on the Canadian shore, above the fort, entered Sand- 
wich without opposition. Those of the inhabitants, who 
had not been compelled to repair to the defence of Mai- 
den, were without arms, and therefore made no show 
of resistance to the Americans, by whom they were ho- 
nourably respected in their property and persons. Pos- 
session was had, in a few days, of the whole country, 
from the river Thames, or la Tranche, so called from 
the evenness and beauty of its bank, to a rivulet, within 
five miles of Maiden, whither the British regulars, and 
Canadian militia, with a great number of Indians, had 
retired. 

Prior to the occupation of Sandwich, however, the ene- 
my had removed his most valuable stores, and whilst he 
was throwing up breast-works, and apparently fortifying 
that place for defence, the largest division of liis troops 
was employed in transporting them to Amherstburg. 
If general Hull's instructions, admitted of his striking 



OF THE LATE WAR. 19 

a blow immediately on his arrival at Detroit, a favourable 
opportunity was culpably neglected. But, on hearing a 
proposition from his officers, to cross the river below; to 
cut off' the communication, between the two divisions, at 
Sandwich anU Amherstburg; and suddenly to rush upon, 
and carry fort Maiden by storm ; he alleged the necessity 
of waiting for positive orders for the invasion of Canada, 
before he could embark his troops for that purpose. Whilst 
the force at Maiden, was weakened by the employment 
of the men at Sandwich, this project might have been 
carried into effect, and liis army, besides prisoners, would 
have obtained a large accession of stores and ammunition. 
When he arrived at Sandwich, the British army, with 
these, and other stores, and an augmented Indian force, 
had collected at, and were placing Maiden in a state to 
sustain a siege. To attempt the reduction of that garrison 
by storm, after the enemy had effected this concentration 
of his forces, it would be necessary to proceed against it, 
with a train of battering cannon, and ladders, of a sufficient- 
height and number, to scale the walls at various points. 
The American army had neither of these, at that time, in 
readiness, and its operations were delayed for one month, 
in preparing two 24-pounders and three howitzers. In this 
interval, such advantages 'were gained, - as result from 
subsisting on the resources of the enemy's country, and 
the capture of some camp articles, and a small supply of 
arms, by reconnoitring parties. 

Meanwhile, the British and Indians at St. Josephs, had 
been making preparations for an attack on fort Michili- 
mackinac,* (a position on an island of that name, and 
within general Hull's command) and on the l6th, four 
days after the occupation of Sandwich, by the troops of 
the United States, the British embarked at St. Josephs, 
and reached the island early on the following morning. 
Their force, consisting of 306 white troops, and 715 In- 
dians, was commanded by captain Roberts, of the British 
regulars, who sent in a prisoner to inform the commandant, 
that if any resistance was made, the garrison and inhabit- 
ants would be indiscriminately put to the sword. The in- 
habitants knowing that the fort had but 57 men for its de- 
fence, escaped from the island, or delivered themselves to 

* Pronounced — Mackinaw, 



so HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

the enemy, in great numbers ; but many of them had no 
opportunity to do either, and were obliged to remain, and 
abide the issue of the day. The commandant of the gar- 
rison, lieutenant Porter Hanks, of the artillery, determined 
to give as gallant a resistance to the assailants as his small 
force would allow him. 

The island of Michilimackinac is aboiit nine miles in 
circumference. It is separated from the main land by a 
vstrait of about seven miles broad, its greatest breadth is 
three miles, and its elevation above the lake, on its high- 
est ground, about 168 fleet. Two square stone houses, 
united by a stockade, stand in the rear of the fort, which 
is situated on a bluff rock rising from the water, but is 
entirely overlooked by the high ground at the distance of 
600 yards. The island itself is of a circular form, highest 
in the centre, and resembling a turtle's back ; from which 
circumstance it is said to have taken its name— (t/lfic/ti/i- 
mackinac, or the Turtle). 

The enemy had landed on- the back part of the island, 
and urged his approach within cannon shot of the fort, 
where he gained the eminence commanding it, and from 
which, he directed a piece of heavy cannon against its 
most defenceless side. The Indians were arranged on 
the edge of an adjoining wood. The British command- 
ant now sent a flag, with a demand for the surrender of 
the fort and island, and communicated the first intelli- 
gence which the garrison received, of the declaration of 
war. The movement of the British and Indians, had be ra 
until this moment, considered as one, among the many 
outrages, to which the frontier of that neighbourhood had 
been exposed, and the American commandant had re- 
solved to shut himself up, and defend tlie fortress to the 
very last extremity, though it should result in the total 
annihilation of his fofce. But, on being informed of the 
actual state of hostilities, he was av/are, that if he held 
out, the enemy, whose present number could not be ef- 
fectually opposed, might be largely reinforced, and that 
the fall of the garrison, would be followed by the threat- 
ened indiscriminate slaughter, as well of the soldiers com- 
posing it, as of the non-combatant inhabitants of the 
island. The only measure, which could save them from 
the brutal massacre of the savages, was a surrender of 



OF THE LATE WAR. ,21 

The fort to the British, and lieutenant Hanks very pru- 
dently entered into terms of capitulation, in which he 
secured a promised protection to all private property, 
though he put the enemy in possession of a post, suscep- 
tible of being rendered the strongest in America. 

It will be observed that the loss of Michilimackinac, 
took place on the 1 7th of July, and that general Hull, al- 
ready apprised of the war, had arrived at Detroit on the 
5th — and the reader will judge, whether this intelligence 
could not have been transmitted to MichilimackinaCy a 
distance of 254 miles, and whether that post ought not to 
have been immediately reinforced. The enemy had know- 
ledge of the existence of hostilities, through the activity of 
persons concerned in the Northwest Fur Company, nine 
days before the arrival of the American disposables, whilst 
the American- garrison was suft'ered to remain in ignorance 
twelve days after— 3.nd to the vigilance of one side, and 
the tardiness, or negligence of the other, this disaster is 
certainly to be ascribed. 

Preparations were still going on at Sandwich, for an 
attempt on Maiden, when the troops were informed of the 
affair at Michilimackinac^ by the capture of two vessels 
in which the prisoners taken there, had been embarked. 
Unless the contemplated attack on Maiden, should result 
in the success of the American arms, the situation of the 
troops would become critical in the extreme; the posses- 
sion of Michilimackinac gave to the enemy many de- 
cided advantages, and if the capture of that post was fol- 
lowed up by an assault on fort Chicago, all the fortified 
stations west of Detroit, would be in his hands,^ and the 
whole of his Indian forces might be thrown upon that 
frontier. Detroit would be an easy conquest, and the 
American army might be so encompassed, that its retreat 
would be impossible. The Indians from the shores of 
the northwestern lakes, were already released from con- 
straint, and the British commander was collecting large 
bodies of them, to move down upon Detroit, and the in- 
termediate garrisons. Depending on the arrival of rein- 
forcements, however, for which, in anticipation of these 
events, general Hull had despatched numerous expresses; 
and being assured of the importance of the occupation of 
Amherstburg, he remained at Sandwich, carrying on an 



£2 llISTORICAL SKETCHES 

excursive war by small parties, and reconnoitring the ene- 
my's outposts with incessant vigilance. 

Colonel Cass, of the 3d regiment of Ohio volunteers, 
was ordered, with a detachment of 280 men, to recon- 
noitre an advanced post of the enemy upon a long bridge, 
crossing La Riviere Aux Canards, or the river of the 
bucks, about four miles from fort Maiden. A company 
of riflemen, commanded by captain Robinson, was con- 
cealed near the bridge, with directions to fire upon, and 
divert the attention of the guard stationed upon it, as soon 
as the remaining part of the detachment should be seen 
on the opposite bank of the river, which was intended to 
be forded about five miles below. An unlooked for dif- 
ficulty at the ford, caused so much delay in the move- 
ment of the detachment, that it did not appear at the 
appointed ground until sunset, when, having marched with- 
out a guide, too near the bank of the river, its progress 
was obstructed by a tributary creek; to pass this, a march 
of another mile was necessary, and time was consequent- 
ly allowed for the enemy to prepare for his defence. On 
coming down the creek, colonel Cass found tlie British 
already formed, and received from them a distant fire of 
musketry. The detachment moved on, however, in good 
order and with great spirit and alacrity. The British, 
who had been reinforced, at intervals, during the whole 
afternoon, and whose number was made up of the 41st 
regiment, and some Indians, made several other attempts 
to fire, but. were as often compelled to retreat, the de- 
tachment continuing to move on, regardless of their oppo- 
sition. They were driven more than half a mile, when 
the darkness of the night made further pursuit hazardous, 
and colonel Cass was content to possess the bridge and 
some adjoining houses, until morning, when, after recon- 
noitring the neighbourhood, and not finding the enemy, he 
commenced his return to the camp, at Sandwich. No a£- 
curate information could be obtained of the force opposed 
to the detachment, but the loss of the enemy, was report- 
ed by deserters, at eleven killed and wounded. The de- 
tachment lost not a single man. The bridge was after- 
wards fortified by the British, Vv^ith six pieces of artillery, 
but this being deemed insufficient for its defence, they 
removed both bridge and battery, and planted their cannon 



OF THE LATE WAR. 23 

behind a breastwork constructed from the timber of the 
former. 

Three days after (19th July) colonel M'Arthur, with 
150 men from his own regiment (Ohio volunteers) on re- 
lieving a detachment which was out, proceeded to the 
reconnoitring ground of colonel Cass, whence he dis- 
covered the enemy — 85 regulars, 40 Indians, and 150 
militia, protected by this battery. The Queen Charlotte 
of 20 guns being at the same time anchored in Detroit 
river, at the mouth of JiiLV Canards, with a gun boat 
cruising about her. The firing was kept up nearly 
an hour between the battery, and a few riflemen in ad- 
vance of the troops, but at too great a distance to have 
effect, whilst M'Arthur was examining the Queen Char- 
lotte. 

On finding the enemy so well protected by the battery, 
the riflemen were ordered to retire to the detachment, 
but M'Arthur's desire to ascertain the true situation of 
the enemy, induted him to go near the broken bridge 
with a glass. He discovered that the Indians had prin- 
cipally left the battery, and almost at the same instant, 
was informed by a messenger from the detachment, that 
a number of them were seen passing to a road in its rear. 
He was now attended by Dr. M'Anaw and captain PuthufF, 
who, on turning their horses to ride with him to the de- 
tachment, were fired upon by about thirty Indians, from 
tlieii' concealment in a brush, at the distance of only 100 
yards. They escaped, however, without being hurt, and 
colonel M'Arthur, immediately after led his men to the 
pursuit of the Indians and drove them across »iux Canards 
to the battery, between the detachment and which, the 
fire was kept up, at long shot, for three hours, without 
other injury to the Americans, than the wounding of two 
anen, though several broadsides had been dischai^ed from 
-the Queen Charlotte. 

The chief, Tecumseh, celebrated for his dexterity witii 

the tom-hawk and rifle, not less than for his relentless 

<:ruelty in the use of them, against the inhabitants of the 

rontier, was at the head of the Indians. The escaj^e, 

herefore, of M'Arthur and his companions from a troop 

„f savages, trained and commanded by such a warrior as 

Tecumseh, was truly miraculous. It was no less fortu- 

ate, that the detacliment bravely moved up, at the report 



<24 HISTORIC AI. SKETCHES 

of the fire of the Indians, and put them to immediate ^ 
flight M'Arthur encamped for the night within two mdes 
ofAux Canards, and, on the following morning, returned 
to the army, with colonel Cass, and 100 men, by whom he 
was then joined. 

Between tliis time and the beginmng of August, no 
event took place, which could afford the American troops 
an opportunity of displaying their true character. The 
inclemency of the weather was very unfavourable to the 
operations of an army. Sudden transitions from extreme 
heat, to intense cold, followed by violent storms of rain 
and hail, rendered them both sickly and discontented. 
They had been all enamoured of an expedition, which 
promised them so much honour and renown, and when 
they landed on the Canadian shore, they were filled with 
such assurances of conquest, as made their impatience 
for achievement almost ungovernable. The tardiness, 
which now seemed inseparable from the conduct of their 
commander, dispirited them, and destroyed whatever of 
confidence they might have reposed in him before. Ihe 
result of a council of war, however, which it was found I 
necessary to convoke, revived all their desires, and a spirit, 
no less active than that with which they had set out, 
pervaded th^ whole encampment. In two days more, by , 
proper exertions, every arrangement would be completed ' 
for the investment of fort Maiden. At the end of t\\at ; 
time the heavy cannon might be ready; if they shouUll 
not, the council recommended an attempt with the bay- 
onet. The British garrison had been weakened by coiv • 
stant desertions of the embodied Canadian militia, and 
a vigorous attack upon it, however gallant the defence, ■ 
could not but be attended with ultimate success. Thet 
deliberations of the council corresponded with the opinions^ 
of the General, and the day was appointed on which thet 
assault was to take place. The cannon were well mount- ^ 
ed, and embarked on floating batteries; the ammunition 
was already placed in wagons provided for its convey- 
ance ; the troops were animated by the prospect of a com- 
bat, and not at all doubtful of a certain and brilliant 
victory. 

A company of volunteers from Ohio, under command 
of captain Brush, !iad arrived at the river Raisin, with a 
quantity of provisions for the army. Although tlie troops 



j^ OF THE I.ATE WAR. 25 

were already supplied for many days, these provisions 
might be necessary in the event of conquest. The distance 
from Detroit, to the point at which they had arrived, was 
thirty-six miles, and their march was liable to be inter- 
cepted by scouting parties from the enemy. Major Van- 
horne was therefore despatched, with 150 men, to meet 
and escort them to their destination. He had nearly 
reached Brownstown, on his second day's march, when he 
was attacked in front, and on both flanks, by a very supe- 
rior force of regulars and Indians. A warm engagement 
followed; to the Americans the odds were fearful, but, 
after an obstinate resistance, they succeeded in making an 
orderly retreat with the loss of 19 killed and missing, and 
9 wounded. — Among the former were captains M'Culloch, 
Bostler, and Gilcrease, who fought with that gallantry, 
which has never failed to distinguish the citizens of the 
state to which they belonged ; among the latter was cap- 
tain Ulry, since dead, whose conduct was not less noble 
than that of his companions. 

Major Vanhorne had scarcely been sent from Sandwich, 
when a change of measures was adopted by the general, 
in opposition to the wishes and intreaties of all his offi- 
cers. The enterprise against Maiden was abandoned, and 
ihe announced his determination of evacuating Canada, 
and of posting himself at fort Detroit. The promulgation 
of his intentions, was attended by an order to break up the 
encampment, and to recross the river in the night. Con- 
sternation and dismay were visible in the countenance of 
every soldier; their confidence was destroyed, and they con- 
i-sidered their commander to be timid and irresolute. The 
presence of their own officers, on whose capabilities they 
implicitly relied, was scarcely sufficient to prevent one 
universal burst of indignation. Reluctantly, and with much 
murmuring, they obeyed tlie order; and at daybreak of the 
morning of the 8th, found themselves garrisoned at De- 
troit. Here the intelligence of the late skirmish was re- 
ceived. 

The communication, which had been opened by the army, 
between Raisin and their present post, was shut up by 
' tlie savages. It was indispensably necessary that it should 
iie again opened, or the provisions at that river cc-ald never 
reach the garrison, which would eventually be in want of 
subsistence. 

C 



£6 HISTORICAIi SKETCHES 

To lieutenant colonel James Miller, the command of a 
strong detachment was for this purpose assigned. He im- 
mediately took up his line of march with 200 regulars, and 
200 militia, the regulars being of the fourth regiment. The 
British Indians, anticipated the return of the detachment 
which they had driven back, and calculated that it would 
be largely reinforced. Their own body was therefore 
increased to a number, competent, as they supposed, to 
drive oft', or perhaps to capture them. They were 700 
strong, and might be reinforced during an engagement, 
from Maiden, opposite to which was the village of Browns- 
town, which they had taken possession of a few days be- 
fore. They fortified the ground at a place called Maguaga, 
nearly four miles from Brownstown, by felling trees and 
erecting breastworks. Behind these, they intended to con- 
ceal themselves, until the Americans should attain the 
point, at which they might deal out to them what measure 
of destruction they pleased. The Indians were commanded 
by their great leader, Tecwnseh; the united force by ma- 
jor Muir, of the British army. 

On the 9th, the American troops, though they proceeded 
with great caution, reached the ground on which the ene- 
my desired to see them, before they discovered their am- 
buscade. Captain Snelling, commanding the advance, was 
attacked from it, and sustained a combat until the main 
body came up, when the British and Indians sprang sud- 
denly from behind the works, formed a line of battle with 
great celerity, and commenced a brisk fire, accompanied 
with all the demonstrations of savage war. Sudden and 
unexpected as was the attack, the intrepid commander of 
the American force was not the least dismayed; his troops 
received the shock without shrinking; and with a coolness 
and sagacity, which aie commonly looked for only in sol- 
diers of long experience, he as suddenly drew up his men, 
and after a rapid fire, charged upon the enemy with such 
unusual firmness, as to throw them into complete disor- 
der. The obstinacy of the Indians, however, would not 
admit of flight; they were not compelled, by the restraints 
of regular discipline, to act in concert with the British, and 
resorting to their own kind of combat, they were resolved 
not' to abandon the contest. But the British had now re- 
covered from their confusion, and a scene of indescribable 



OF THE LATE WAR. 27 

horror ensued. Uniting with 500 Indians, who were almost 
naked, having their bodies painted in a frightful manner, 
and uttering their usual dreadful shouts, they fought on 
every side of the American detachment; on every side 
they were gallantly repulsed. Means like these could not 
induce these brave men to forsake their standard, or to 
disgrace their nation. They saw danger strengthening 
around them, they knew what kind of destiny awaited 
their defeat, and they were resolutely determined to repel 
the foe, or to yield only with their lives. Colonel Miller 
found himself contending against a force, more than one 
third superior to his own, but he was animat/d by the 
same spirit, which influenced his men. Over such men, 
headed by such a commander, the enemy could not hope 
to be victorious. The firmness of the Americans had that 
effect upon the British and Indians, which it was intended 
their savage noises should produce on them. They found 
that they had not errors to resort to, which could attain 
their end, and they began from necessity to give ground. 
The obstinacy of the detachment, was equal to the deter- 
mined character of the Indians, and the latter became first 
intimidated. The united forces were driven, inch by inch, 
into Brownstown ; and would have been beaten into sub- 
mission, had not a squadron of boats been ready to receive 
them, at that place. They made as rapid a retreat across 
the river, as tneir oarsmen could effect, and returned to 
Maiden with an inferior force, to that with which they had 
left it. Their loss was, in regulars, 7 killed and wounded ; 
of the Indians they left nearly 100 on the field. In the 
stout contest, which the detachment kept up for more than 
two hours, there were 15 killed, and between 30 and 40 
wounded. The officers who principally distinguished them- 
selves, were captain Baker, lieutenants Larabee and Pe- 
ters, and ensign Whistler. The first of these was shot 
three different times during the battle ; the second lost his 
left arm ; and the two last were also wounded. Colonel 
Miller remained at Brownstown until the meridian of the 
next day, when he received orders to return to Detroit. 
The troops were exhausted by so vigorous an engagement, 
and they would have been unable to proceed further. A 
fresh detachment would probably be sent upon the same 
expedition; and colonel Miller, knowing how necessary it 



2S HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

was, that his men should be refreshed, was not averse from 
this order. 

Captain Brush was still waiting at the river Raisin for 
an escort, when he received orders to remain at that place, 
and defend himself there, or to proceed by a route, on an 
upper road, crossing the river Huron. Colonels Cass and 
IVrArthur were despatched, on the evening of the 14th, 
w ith 300 men, to assist in the transportation of the pro- 
visions, on that route. 

On the same day on which the victory at Maguaga was 
achieved, captain Heald, the commandant at fort Chicago, 
since called fort Dearborn, received orders immediately 
to abandon that place. Accordingly, on the iifteenth, 
after delivering to the friendly Indians, in conformity to 
his instructions, all the goocls in the factory, and such 
provisions as could not be taken away, and destroying 
the surplus arms and ammunition, he commenced his 
march with 54 regulars, and 12 militia, the whole amount 
of his force, and was escorted by captain Wells, of fort 
Wayne, and a few friendly Indians of the Miami tribe, 
sent thither for that purpose. As the place would nov/ 
be defenceless, the inhabitants, principally women and 
childr-sn, were directed to accompany the troops. The 
little party had not proceeded more than one mile and 
an half, between a high sand-bank, and t}ie lake, when it 
was discovered that a number of hostile Indians vv^ere 
preparing to attack them, from behind the bank. Captain 
Heald immediately ordered his company to ascend it; 
and they had scarcely done so, when an action com- 
menced, in which, after firing one round, and charging 
with great velocity, upon the Indians, the latter were 
obliged to give way in front, but joining the party on the 
American lianks, they kept up their fire, and got posses- 
sion of all the horses, ])rovisions and bagj^age, of every 
description. The friendly Indians standing aloof, re- 
fusing to take part in the contest, and apparently vvaiting 
the issue, that they might determine on whicli side to 
belong, made it necessary for captain Heald to draw off 
his few men, and take possession of a small elevation, in 
an open prairie, out of reach of shot, from tlie bank, or 
any other cover. Here he received an offer of protec- 
tion, fiom an Indian chief, on condition of his surrender : 



OF THE LATE WAR. 29 

w,hich, without much reliance on its faith, he accepted, 
because of the great disparity of force, the Indian 
warriors amounting to nearly 500. Their loss was 
about 15. Of the Americans, 16 regulars, and all 
the militia were killed: among them, captain Wells 
and ensign George Roman, both officers of great gal- 
lantry. Two women, and tv/elve children were also 
killed. The Indians had it now in their power, to move 
to any part of the country, through which the communi- 
cation' had been formed between the river Raisin and 
Detroit, and numbers of them were accordingly posted 
at several points on that road, whilst a stronger party pro- 
ceeded against fort Wayne. Their absence was taken 
advantage of by captain Heald, whom they had taken to 
the mouth of St. Joseph's, and who now. Math his lady, 
procured a conveyance to Michilimackinac, where he 
was received politely by the commandant, captain Ro- 
berts. Mrs. Heald was wounded by six shot — ^the captain 
by two. 

Any attempt to accelerate the transportation of the 
provisions, would now be useless, for on the thirteenth, 
the British had taken a position opposite Detroit. They 
were occupied in throwing up breastworks, during that 
and the two following days ; at the end of which time they 
had completed a battery of two eighteen pounders, and 
an eight inch howitzer, without any interruption from the 
American fort. Major Denny, of the volunteers who 
had been left in garrison at Sandwich, with 250 infantry, 
and a corps of artillerists, was obliged, on their approach, to 
make his retreat across the river. This he eifected in good 
order. 

On the fifteenth, a flag of truce was received from the 
British, with a summons, demanding the immediate sur- 
render of the garrison ; to which it was returned for an- 
swer, that the " town and fort would be defended to the 
last extremity." The British then opened their batteries 
upon the town, and continued to throw their shells into the 
fort, from four o'clock until midnight. The fire was re- 
turned until dark with little effect. At daylight the next 
morning, the firing again commenced, whilst the British, 
under the protection of their ships, were landing their 
forces at Spring Wells. At about ten o'clock they proceed- 

C2 



so HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

ed in a close column, twelve in front, along the bank of the 
river towards the fort. 

From fort Detroit the enemy could not have been pre- 
vented from landing, had he attempted it, even in its 
more immediate vicinity. Its situation had been origi- 
nally chosen without skill; the town actually standing 
between it and the river,' and the foot of the scarp being 
more than two hundred rods from it. On the evening 
of the fifteenth it was therefore suggested to general 
Hull, that the British should be opposed on the margin 
of the river; that there was a position at that point, 
whence they could be destroyed, with the utmost cer- 
tainty, as fast as they could land; and that a strong 
battery, well manned there, would be a better security 
than the fort of Detroit. The suggestions of general Hull's 
officers were too often disregarded. The enemy had 
now landed, and no obstruction could prevent his ap- 
proach, until he should be either in the rear of the town, 
or of the fort, when all the strength of the latter might 
be successfully brought against him. The fourth regi- 
ment was stationed within the fort; the Ohio volunteers, 
and part of the Michigan militia, behind picquets, from 
which the enemy's whole flank could be annoyed; the 
residue of the militia were in the town, to resist the In- 
dians ; and two twenty-four pounders, loaded with grape 
shot, were posted on an eminence, from which they 
Gould sweep the advancing column. The superiority of 
position was apparent on the side of the Americans, and 
their force at least equal to that of the enemy. They 
had four hundred rounds of twenty-four pound shot, 
already fixed, and about one hundred thousand cartridges 
made. Their provisions were sufficient for fifteen days, 
and every man of them, awaited the approach of the ene- 
my witli full and eager expectation of victory. The head 
of the column had advanced within five hundred yards 
of the American line, when general Hull ordered the troops 
to retreat to the fort, and not by any means to open the 
twenty-four pounders upon the enemy. The feelings of 
the soldiers were not now to be restrained, as they had 
been a few days before at Sandwicli. Indignation at the 
conduct, and contempt for the capacity, of the command- 
ing general, could no longer be disguised, and they loud- 



or THE LATE WA«. SI 

ly uttered their discontent. They entered the fort, how- 
ever, which, though crowded so tliat any movement was 
impracticable, was scarcely capable of containing them. 
Here they were directed to stack their arms, and they 
had the mortification to see the flag of their country 
struck to the invaders, and the fort surrendered without 
the discharge of a single gun. A white flag was sus- 
pended from its walls, and such was the astonishment, 
even of the enemy's troops, .that a British ofticer rode 
up, to ascertain its meaning. It was the first instance, 
perhaps, which they had ever known, of the surrender of 
a military post, without a previous arrangement of the 
terms ; and they had little expectation of so tame a sub- 
mission. Those brave troops, who had but eight days 
before beaten, and put this same enemy to flight, were 
now obliged to march out in review, and lay down their 
arms to inferior numbers, who had done no other thing 
towards the capture of the garrison, than showing them- 
selves before it. 

Not only the heroes of Brownstown, but the detach- 
ments then absent from the fort, the volunteers and all 
the provisions at Raisin, and those of no inconsiderable 
amount, the fortified posts and garrisons, and the whole 
territory and inhabitants of Michigan, were delivered 
over by capitulation, to the commanding general of the 
British forces. Forty barrels of powder, two thousand 
five hundred stand of arms, and an armament, (consist- 
ing of twenty-five iron, and eight brass pieces of ord- 
nance) the greater part of which had been captured from 
the British in the revolutionary war, were surrendered 
with them. 

The detachment which had been sent out under colo- 
nels Cass and M'Arthur, had received orders the night 
before to return ; but when they arrived witliin sight of 
Detroit, before which the enemy was already stationed, 
it became necessary to use excessive caution in their 
nearer approach. They were accidentally thrown into 
a situation, tlie best for annoying and cutting off the re- 
treat of the enemy, which could possibly be selected; 
and if they had heard any firing, or seen any indication 
of an engagement, they might have attacked the rear of 
the column, and placed the enemy's raw troops, between 



32 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

their own fire and that of the fort. They could not ima- 
gine what measures were in operation, when an uninter- 
rupted silence prevailed between two hostile armies, with- 
in fighting distance of each other ; the arrangement for a 
surrender, was the last among their surmises, because they 
knew that the garrison was superior to any force which 
could then be brought against it. Their doubts were re- 
lieved by a message from general Hull, to the following 
eifect: " I have signed articles of capitulation for the sur- 
" render of this garrison, in which you and your detach- 
" ment are prisoners of war. Such part of the Ohio mi- 
** litia as have not joined the army, will be permitted to 
" return to their homes, on condition that tliey will not 
" serve during the war. Their arms, however, will be 
*' given up, if belonging to the public." This despatch 
was forwarded by colonel M'Arthur, to captain Brush. 
The volunteers and militia returned to their respective 
homes; but general Hull, and the fourth regiment, and 
part of the first, were taken to Montreal, whence they 
were destined for Quebec. General Brock issued his pio- 
clamation, announcing to the inhabitants of Michigan, the 
cession of that territory to the arms of his Britannic ma- 
jesty, and establishing regulations for its civil govern- 
ment. The capitulation of an immense territory, and the 
surrender of the whole northwestern army which was 
composed of men, feelingly alive to the honour of their 
country; ambitious of distinguishing themselves in arms; 
and most of whom had left their families, and their friends, 
to encounter the fatigues and dangers of a long campaign; 
excited a sensation among the people, from one extremity of 
the country to the other, not less indignant, than that which 
was felt by the troops themselves. When general Brock 
said, that the force at his disposal authorized him to require 
the surrender, he must have had a very exalted opinion of 
the prowess of his own soldiers, or a very mistaken one 
of the ability of those, who were commanded by the Ame- 
rican general. The force at his disposal was inferior to 
the garrison of Detroit, even in the absence of the de- 
tachments. In a letter to sir George Prevost, he states 
the American force at 2,500 — which, however, could not 
be correct, as it had met with losses in the dift'erent skir- 
mishes — and his own at 600 white troops, and 600 In- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 33 

dians. By the return of his quarter-master-jjeneral, it 
consisted of, British regulars, infantry and artillery, 382 ; 
Indians, principally Chipaivai/s, Ihirons, and Potawafu- 
mies, 650; Militia, in regular uniform, 362; Total, 1394. 
Of these, few of the Indians were visible, as tliey generally 
skulked in the woods, and -did not advance upon the fort 
with the British column. The force of general Hull's 
army, by the morning report, was 1060, exclusive of the 
detachment of 350 men, and 300 Michigan militia, then 
out on duty, which would have made if 10; superior to 
the enemy by 516. On the arrival of captain Brush from 
Raisin, his total force would have amounted to more 
than 1860. 

Had the troops remained at Sandwich until the provi- 
sions were brought on, the surrender of this force to a body 
of troops thus inferior in number, would have been pre- 
vented. The British did not appear at that place until 
they had heard of its evacuation ; they w^ere induced to 
follow up the American army, because of its abrupt depar- 
ture from the Canadian shore; and it has been matter of 
conjecture, whether general Hull's conduct was the result 
of cowardice, or perfidy. In his official despatches to the 
government, he attempted to defend his conduct, upon 
grounds, with which they were not satisfied — and which 
could not be proved before the court martial, by whom, 
after being exchanged for thirty British prisoners, he was 
tried. 

After an investigation of all the facts, the court de- 
clined making a decision on the charge of treason, which 
was alleged against him, but said, they did not believe, 
from any thing which had come before them, that he had 
been guilty of that act. On the second charge, for cowar- 
dice — and the third, for neglect of duty ana unofficerlike 
conduct, they condemned him. A sentence of death was 
passed upon him, but in consideration of his revolutionary 
services and his advanced age, he was earnestly recom- 
mended to the mercy of the President, who remitted the 
sentence, but directed a general order to be issued, by 
which his name was struck from the rolls of the army. 

Could that genius and enterprise, which distinguished 
the other officers of the northwestern army, have been im- 
parted to its commander, a more glorious issue to the 



54 msTomcAii sketches 

American arms, must have been the necessary result. 
The conduct of the several detachments, and the ample 
success of each excursion, gave an almost incontestible 
proof, that a vigorous prosecution of the warfare, would 
liave obtained complete victory. Had the effect of these 
successes been followed up by a rapid movement of the 
army itself, and proper advantages been taken of the de- 
sertions from the enemy's garrison, the whole country 
would have been subjugated, or laid open to future expe- 
ditions, and the object of the present, w^ould doubtless 
have been achieved. Weakness and imbecility, however, 
supplied the place of military talent, and the result was 
different from that, which was looked for by the army and 
the nation. 



OF THE LATE WAR. 35 



CHAPTER II. 



disposition of the J\*aval Forces — Escape of the Consti- 
tution — Letters of Marque and Reprisals — Tlie Jltlas 
engages two armed ships'—The Essex captures the Mert 
— Engagement between the Constitution and Guerriere 
— Pursuit of the Belvidere — An engagement on the St. 
Lawrence — Capture of the British trigs Detroit and 
Caledonia, on Lake Erie — TJie Wasp captures the Fro- 
lic — Both taken by the Poictiers — Loss of the United 
States schooners *N*autilus and Vixen* 

CoTEMPORANEOus with the disaster at Detroit, was a 
succession of brilliant achievements on the ocean, paral- 
leled perhaps, but never yet surpassed; the intelligence 
of which entirely dispelled the temporary gloom, which 
pervaded the minds, and filled with grief, the hearts of 
the American people. At the commencement of hostili- 
ties, such of the United States vessels of war, whose 
equipments were entire, had orders to proceed immedi- 
ately to sea. A squadron of three frigates, one brig, and 
one sloop of war, sailed on the twenty-first of June (1812) 
from New York, in quest of sever9,l of the enemy's frigates, 
known to be at that time cruising off the entrance to that 
harbour. On the third of July, the frigate Essex, captain 
Porter, went to sea from the same port; and the Consti- 
tution, captain Hull, sailed from the Chesapeake bay on 
the twelfth. The brigs Nautilus, Viper, and Vixen, were 
at the same time cruising off the coast; and the sloop of 
war Wasp was at sea, on her return from France. 

On the morning of the 17th, an English squadron, con- 
sisiting of the Africa^ a ship of the line, the frigates Shan- 
nony Guerrierey Belvidere, and *MoluSy and a brig and 
schooner, the nearest of the frigates being within gun- 
shot, gave chase to the Constitution. A calm prevailing 
during the whole day, towing and warping were unremit- 
tingly resorted to; but the enemy, by attaching all the 



36 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

boats of the squadron to two of the frigates, had gained 
so much upon the Constitution, as to bring their bow guns 
to bear upon her, though they received several discharges 
from her stern chasers. The chase continued all niglit. 
On the following morning, (18th) at daylight, the Consti- 
tution, taking advantage of a fresh breeze wliich just then 
sprang up, spread all her canvas, outsailed, and escaped 
from her pursuers, and arrived at Boston on the evening 
of the 26th — whence she sailed upon a cruis6 on the 
second of August. The chase had continued for sixty 
hours; the ship's crew were all that time at their sta- 
tions; and the escape of the frigate from seven sail, two 
of which were warped up by more than six times the num- 
ber of men and boats employed by the Constitution, has 
been considered as an incontestible proof, of the superior 
skill and seamanship of her commander. The officers of 
the pursuing ships, one of whom was afterward captured 
by captain Hull, have spoken of it in terms of the highest 
admiration. 

Congress having authorised the President to issue let- 
ters of marque and reprisals, the ocean was very soon 
covered with private armed ships, from almost every port 
in the United States. One of the first which sailed, was 
the schooner Atlas, commanded by captain David Mof- 
fet; who, on the third of August, fell in with two armed 
ships of the enemy, and at 11 A.M. engaged them both. 
The action commenced by a broadside of musketry 
from the Atlas, and was continued without intermission 
until noon, when one of the enemy's ships struck her 
colours. The whole fire of the Atlas was then brought 
against the largest ship, when that which had already 
struck, again opened her broadside. A few shot from 
the Atlas, however, drove every man from her decks, and 
compelled her a second time to yield. At 20 minutes 
P. M. the largest ship struck also, and on taking posses- 
sion of them, captain Moffet found them to be, the ship 
Pursuit, of 450 tons, 16 guns, 18's and 9's, and 35 men; 
and the ship Planter, of 12 guns, 12 pounders, and 15 
men. During the action, the Atlas was very much dis- 
abled in her rigging, and had 2 men killed and 5 wound- 
ed. Among the latter, a seaman of the name of William 
Curl, who behaved with great coolness, and refused to 
quit his quarters, though he had received a wound, which 



or THE LATE WAR. S7 

afterwards proved to be mortal. The three vessels were, 
making a port, when a British frigate hove in sight, and 
recaptured the Planter, but the Atlas, and her largest 
prize, arrived safely in the Delaware. 

Oh the thirteenth of August, the frigate Essex, which 
had now been cruising forty days, fell in with the British 
sloop of war Alert, captain Laugharne, of 20 guns, and 
3 30 men, who immediately ran down upon the frigate*^ 
weather quarter, gave three cheers, commenced an ac- 
tion, and after eight minute's firing, struck her colours, 
with 7 feet water in her hold, her hull cut to pieces, and 
three of her men wounded. The officers and crew of 
the Essex, which received not the slightest injury, were 
highly amused at the boldness of the enemy, who must 
have calculated on an easy conquest over the American 
frigate. A few broadsides, however, deliberately fired 
into the sloop of war, brought down her colours, and 
after concluding an arrangement with captain Lauglianie 
to that effect, captain Porter dismantled her of her arma- 
ment, and putting all his prisouei s, being about 500, on 
board, sent her, under the command of one of his officers, 
lieutenant J. P. Wilmer, as a cartel to St. Johns, in New- 
foundland, whence she was instructed to sail for New 
York, v^dth whatever American prisoners might be given 
in exchange. 

About seventeen days after, late in the afternoon of the 
30th, captain Porter discovered, and stood under an easy 
sail for, one of the enemy's frigates, which was at the same 
time standing for him. The Essex was cleared, and the 
crew anxious for an engagement. Being apprehensive 
that the enemy might not find him in tlie night, captain 
Porter hoisted a light at the mast head, and at 9 o'clock 
discovered a signal of two flashes and a blue light, at 
about 4 miles distance. The Essex stood on for the 
point at which tiiis signal was given, until midnight; but 
not getting a sight of the enemy, she hove too, under an 
expectation that the hostile ship would do the same, until 
morning. To the great surprise of captain Porter, and 
the mortification of his crew, at daylight the enemy was 
not to be seen. 

On the fourth of September, (1812) in attempting to get 
into New York, the Essex was intercepted and chased by 
two large ships of war, who gained her wake and came up 



38 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

.with great flcetness; but she escaped from them by ma- 
ncBUvrino- in tlic night, having first hoisted American 
colours, ^nd fired a gun to windward. One of the ships 
being considerably to windward of the other, and about 
five miles astern of the Essex, it was determined to heave 
about as soon as it became dark; and in the event of 
not being able to pass, to fire a broadside into her, and 
lay her on board. The wind heading the Essex oft* how- 
ever, at thirty minutes after eight she bore away, and 
being cut off from New York, effected her escape into the 
bay of Delaware, where she arrived on the seventh, 
without the loss of a man — ^having made nine captures in 
addition to the Alert. The Alert returned from St. 
Johns, and arrrived at New York on the sixteenth of Sep- 
tember, with 270 American prisoners. 

On the 28th of August, (1812) the Constitution returned 
to Boston, from a cruise commenced upon the second of 
that month, and signalized by a brilliant and victorious 
contest with a British ship of war, the commander of 
which had repeatedly threatened the capture of any one 
of the American frigates, wVioni it might be his fortune to 
encounter. The frigate Guerriere had been sailing off 
the coast, for several months previously to the declaration 
of war; and had frequently shown herself at the entrances 
to the different ports, with her name written in large 
characters upon a flag at one of her mast heads, and at 
another the words " not the Little Belt" — in allusion to 
Jln affair whi-ch had taken place between a sloop of war 
of that name, and the United States' frigate President; in 
which the latter ship retorted an assault committed on 
her, in time of peace, by discharging two broadsides at, 
and nearly sinking the sloop of war.* Captain Hull had 

* On the 16th May, the Little Belt, commanded by captain 
Bingham, and mounting- 18 gxins, was hailed by the President, 
to know what ship she was. The captain of the Little Belt re- 
peated the question, without answering it: and commodore Ro- 
gers again asked, " What ship is that ?" This demand was fol- 
lowed by a shot from the Little Belt. The President returned it, 
and received a broadside from her. Commodore Rogers then 
gave a general order to fire : and having silenced the other, again 
inquired what ship she was. He now received an answer, which 
informed him of the character of the vessel: and he lay too, in 
order to assist her in repairing her damages. [For a particular 
account of tliis affair, see Clark's Naval History of the United 
States.] 



OF THE LATE WAR. 39 

been informed of the appearance of a single ship of warj 
to the eastward of the coast, and immediately stood in 
that direction. Between the second and the nineteenth 
of August, he made several captures of merchantmen^ 
and recaptured an American brig, which had been taken 
by the Aver%er. On that day, in lat. 41 deg. 42 min. N. 
and long. 55 deg. 33 min. W. he discovered a large fri- 
gate of the enemy, set all sail in chase, and came up with, 
and captured her, after a spirited engagement of forty- 
live minutes. She proved to be the fngate Guerriere, 
of 38 guns, but carrying 49, and commanded by captain 
James R. Dacres. She was discovered at about two 
P. M. and at four, the Constitution was closing fast upon 
her. At ten minutes past four, the enemy hoisted English 
colours, and commenced the action by firing several 
guns. The Constitution's fire was reserved, until she 
could be put in such a position that eveiy shot should 
take effect; and the sailing master, Aylwin, brought her 
so skilfully into action, that captain Hull's views vv^ere 
completely accomplished. But the enemy not compre- 
hending them, suspected the Americans of tiiiyjdij^, or 
of ignorance in the art of gunneiy, and discha^pt his 
broadsides with an assurance of crippling his antagonist* 
before he might open his battery. The crew of the 
Constitution, anxiously awaiting the orders of their com- 
mander to tire, were themselves filled with surprise at 
his receiving so many rounds, without yet returning 
them. Captain Hull, at his station, however, was with 
great judgment reconnoitring the enemy with his glass; 
until finding tliat the ability and excellent seamanship 
of his sailing-master, brought up the ship to the exact 
station, upon the enemy's beam, from which he knew 
he could effectually annoy him, he issued his orders to 
fire broadside after broadside, with the greatest possible 
rapidity. His crew, now perfectly entering into a plan, 
which none but an able seaman could have conceived, 
executed his commands with as much alacrity as was 
required; and after fifteen minutes close and constant 
cannonading, the enemy's mizen mast having gone over 
his starboard quarter, the Constitution was placed upon 
his-larboard bow, in a raking position; from which she 
swept the decks of the Guerriere, with grape and mus- 
ketry. The enemy's ship became now unmanageable. 



40 HISTORICAL SKET(5HES 

and the Constitution prepared to Uy her on board. Lieu- 
tenant Bush attempted to throw his marines on her -deck, 
when he was killed by a musket ball ; and the Guerriere, 
at the same moment, getting clear of the Constitution, 
shot ahead; but it being impossible to get her before 
the wind, she was exposed to every raking fire of her 
opponent. Her fore and main masts went over the side; 
her hull was cut almost to pieces; and at twenty minutes 
past five she surrendered. The execution of the Consti- 
tution's fire was dreadfully severe; and the management 
of the vessel reflected great credit on her officer. Her 
loss was but 7 killed and 7 wounded. The Guerriere's 
loss was about 102-— in wounded 62, in killed and missing 
upwards of 40. 

The Constitution had some spars, and much of her rig- 
ging, shot away; after repairing which, and getting out 
the prisoners, sjie set fire to, and blew up the Guerriere, 
which was in ^o sinking a condition tliat she could not be 
brought into port. Captain Hull spoke in high terms of 
tlie crew, from the smallest boy in the ship to the oldest 
seam^l^ The officers behaved with great gallantry. 
AmaUmhe most conspicuous of them Vv-ere lieutenants 
Hoffman, Shubrick, and Morgan. The brave and amia- 
ble lieutenant William Bush, the first naval ofiieer who 
fell in this war, distinguished himself by intrepidly 
leading on the boarders, when he received the ball which 
deprived his country of his services. Mr Aylwin, who 
manoeuvred the ship so well throughout the battle, was 
severely wounded ; and on his return to port, was pro- 
moted to the rank of a lieutenant. The first officer, 
lieutenant Morris, was dangerously wounded; his con- 
duct procured for him the applause of tlie government, 
and a promotion to the rank oi post captain. Captain Hull 
was received with a degree of joy bordering on enthusiasm, 
by the citizens of every town tinough which he passed, on 
his way to the navy department. Many of tlie state legis- 
latures voted him their thanks and a sword; the freedom 
of several cities was presented to him, each in a gold 
box; and the people of Charleston and Philadelphia 
subscribed for the purchase of two elegant pieces of plate. 
The congress of the United States voted him, and his 
officers and crew, tlieir thanks— and the sum of fifty thou- 
sand dollars. 



OF THE LATE WAR. 41 

I'he Giierriere, was one of the finest of the largest class 
of frigates in the British navy; a fact* which is certified in 
a letter to lord Keith from a JBritish officer, captain Tho- 
mas Lavie, of the frigate Blanche — ^in which ship, on the 
19th of July, 1806, off the Farro islands, after a contest 
of' the same length, (45 minutes) he captured the French 
frigate Le Guerriere, commanded by Monsieur Hubert of 
the legion of honour. His letter states, " Le Guerriere 
is of the largest class of frigates, mounting 50 guns, with 
a complement of S17 men," 

The squadron which had sailed on the 21st June, un- 
der the command of commodore Rodgers, and which 
consisted of the President, of 44 guns (flag ship); United 
States, 44, captain Decatur; Congress, 36, captain John 
Smith; Hornet, 16, lieutenant commandant Lawrence ; 
and Argus, 16, lieutenant commandant Sinclair; re- 
turned from the cruise, and arrived in Boston harbour on 
the 3 1st August, with about 120 English prisoners on 
board ; having been ou^ seventy-two days. These ves- 
sels had been off the English channel, along the coast of 
France, Spain, and Portugal, within 30 miles of the Rock 
of Lisbon; thence to Madeira island; thence off Core 
and Flores ^ and thence back to the Banks, and by Nova 
Scotia to Boston. They were, most of this time, in 
search of the Jamaica fleet; though on the third day out, 
tiieir attention was diverted, by the appearance of a large 
sail, which was afterwards known to be the British fri- 
gate Belvidere, captain Richard Byron, and to which 
they gave chase. The President being a superior sailer 
to the rest of the squadron, was brought within gun shot 
of the enemy. The breeze inclining to the westward 
and becoming lighter, however, the "Belvidere had the 
advantage; at 1 P.M. she hoisted English colours. At 
four, the wind haying changed, so that the two vessels 
sailed nearly alike, commodore Rodgers determined to 
fire his bow chase guns at the rigging and spars, in the 
expectation of crippling the enemy, so that her escape 
would be prevented, or at least that the President might 
be enabled to come up. The fire was returned from the 
enemy's stern guns, and was kept up on both sides until 
thirty minutes past four, when one of the President's cliase 
guns burst, killed and wounded 16 men — among the lat- 
ter the commodore, and by the explosion of the passing- 

D2 



42 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

box from which the gun was served with powder, both 
the main and forecastle decks in its neighbourhood were 
much shattered. The helm was then put to starboard, 
and the discharge of the President's broadside, wounded, 
and considerably injured, though it did not destroy the 
spars and rigging of the Belvidere. The President be- 
gan now to lose ground, no hope was left of bringing the 
enemy to close action, except that derived from being 
to windward, and the probability that a breeze might fa- 
vour the President first, and the commodore ordered her 
to be steered close after him, and the bow chase guns to 
be kept playing on his spars, rigging, and stern. At five, 
the enemy's stern guns annoyed the President so much, 
that the commodore determined on another broadside, 
which being discharged, was found to have wounded the 
fore topsail yard of the Belvidere : after this the pursuit 
was kept up until 11 P. M. The President gave two 
more broadsides, but the Belvidere having stove and 
threw overboard her boats, and every thing which could 
be possibly spared, and having cut away her anchors 
and started about fourteen tons of water, outsailed the 
squadron, and eftected her escape. Six men were killed 
and wounded by the Belvidere's fire, and 16 by the acci- 
dent on board the President, making in all 22, among 
whom, besides the commodore, were 5 midshipmen, one 
lieutenant of marines, arid one lieutenant of the ship. 

While these events were transpiring on the ocean, 
several naval affairs took place upon the lakes, more 
inferior in their magnitude, than in the heroism of the 
persons concerned in them. On the 30th of July, the 
brig Julia of one 32 pounder, and two 6's, was fitted out 
at Sacket's Harbour, with orders to proceed to Ogdens- 
burg. On the 31st, upon entering the St. Lawrence, 
within sight of Brockville, ten miles from her destination, 
she discovered the Earl Moira of 18 guns, and the Duke 
of Gloucester of 10, lying to. The Julia bore down 
within three quarters of a mile of them, and came to 
action. At half past 4 P. M. the enemy opened his fire, 
and the engagement continued three hours and an half, 
during which time, numerous attempts were made to 
board the Julia, by the boats of the. Duke, but the 32 
pounder being well fought, the enemy was obliged to 
relinquish that plan. Both vessels hauled up under the 



OF THE LATE WAR. 43 

land battery, and kept up a heavy fire. At 8 o'clock 
the Julia proceeded to Oo;densburg, without the loss of a 
man. The enemy's loss has never been ascertained. In 
all the engagement, three shot only struck the hull ; one 
went tlirough the jib, and another pierced the gun car- 
riage of the Julia. Her crew were all volunteers; lieu- 
tenant H. Wells having the command, Samu&l Dixon being 
sailing master, and captain Benedict being on board .with 
a small company of riflemen, acting as marines. 

Lieutenant Jesse D. Elliot, of the United States navy, 
had been ordered to the Niagara river to superintend 
Ihe building of the vessels at Black Rock, for the service 
on Lake Erie. The British brig Detroit of six 6 pound 
long guns, formerly the United States' brig Adams, which 
had been taken at the surrender of Detroit, and the brig 
Caledonia, of two small guns, both well appointed and 
supplied with blunderbusses, pistols, muskets, cutlasses, 
boarding pikes and battle axes, came down the lake and 
anchored under the protection of fort Erie, on the morn- 
ing of the eighth of October. Lieutenant Elliot planned 
an expedition against them, which, because there were 
but few seamen at the station, was to be executed by 
volunteers from the army. This plan was communicated 
to general Smyth, who immediately agreed to supply the 
regulars, to man two boats, to attack and cut out the ene- 
my's vessels. Several companies of artillery and infantry 
which arrived at the Rock only a few days before, on hear- 
ing the proposal for volunteers, stept forward to a man, 
and such was the eagerness of all the troops, that it be- 
came necessary to resort to lot. Fifty men only were 
wanted : lieutenant Elliot having heard that the same num- 
ber of seamen were at a short distance from him on their 
route to the naval station, and who arrived at 12 o'clock on 
the morning of that day, and who, though they came off a 
march of 500 miles, he determined should be also of the 
expedition. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the selection 
was completed, and the men stationed in two boats, (fifty 
in each) commanded by lieutenant Elliot, and sailing mas- 
ter Watts. In the same boat with the former, was lieu- 
tenant Isaac Roach, and witli the latter, captain N. Tow- 
son, both of the artillery, and officers of great merit, who 
had been fortunate enough to draw the successful lots. 
About three hours before daylight of the following morn- 



44 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

iiig, the boats put off from the mouth of Buffaloe creek, 
and in two hours were alongside the vessels. 

In ten minutes the crews of each were secured, the top- 
sails sheeted home, and the vessels under way. The wind 
not being sufficiently strong to get them up against a rapid 
current into the lake, they were obliged to run down the 
Niagura, by the forts, under a strong fire of round, grape, 
and cannister, from a number of pieces of heavy ordnance 
and flying artillery They anchored within 400 yards of 
the enemy's batteries. The officer commanding these was 
hailed, and informed that if another gun was fired, the 
prisoners should be brought on deck and share whatever 
fate might attend the American crew. This threat was 
disregarded, but the humanity of the American officers 
prevented them from executing it^, though a constant and 
destructive fire was kept up from the enemy. The Cale- 
donia succeeded in getting under the batteries of Black 
Rock; but the Detroit could not be got across. All her 
guns were therefore placed upon the side next the enemy, 
and a fire directed against the batteries, as long as the 
ammunition lasted. During the contest, several attempts 
to warp her over to the American shore, were unsuccess- 
fully made. The fire from the batteries was so destructive, 
that lieutenant Elliot, expecting that she would soon be 
sunk, if she remained in that situation, determined to drift 
down the river out of their reach, and prefer making a 
stand against the flying artillery. The cable was accord- 
ingly cut, and the Detroit made sail with light airs, but the 
pilot having abandoned her, she brought up on the Cana- 
dian side of Squaw island. The boarding boat was imme- 
diately put in readiness, and sent with the prisoners to the 
American side of the river, with directions to return for 
lieutenant Elliot, and whatever property could be got out 
of the brig; the boat, however, could not get back to her. 
Lieutenant Elliot was, therefore, obliged, with lieutenant 
Roach and four prisoners, to make the shore in a skiff* which 
they discovered under the counter. Protection was then 
asked for the bri^ from lieutenant colonel Scott, of the se- 
cond regiment of artillery, who immediately despatched a 
company of that corps, under captain J. N. Barker, with a 
few pieces, to be stationed opposite the island. A boat from 
the British shore approached the brig with forty men, who 
succeeded in getting on board, but the fire of four pieces 



OF THE LATE WAB. 45 

of artillery, soon compelled them to abandon her, and 
she was left in such a condition, that it would be impos- 
sible to float her. Captain Talbot Chambers, and part of 
the fifth United States regiment, afterwards crossed to 
Squaw island and burnt her, with her valuable cargo of 
furs. The Caledonia's cargo was estimated at 200,000 
dollars. In all these proceedings, the American loss was 
3 killed ; 3 severely, and 4 or 5 slightly, wounded. Ma- 
jor Cuyler, «n officer of -great bravery, was killed by the 
first shot from the enemy's batteries, as he stood on. the 
beach; and midshipman John C. Cummings was wound- 
ed in the leg by a bayonet, as he was boarding the De- 
tl-oit The regulars were unused to this species of ser- 
vice, but they had entered into it with zeal and alacrity. 
Id their conduct entitled them to the approbation which 
^ity received from their officers- Captain Towson and 
lieutenant Roach were actively engaged during the whole 
*^terprise, and contributed to its success, as much by 
'leir counsel, as by their intrepidity. The artillery which 
,/as stationed on the shore, when the Detroit was aban- 
doned by the crew, was served with skill and dexterity. 
The loss of the enemy, by the report of deserters, was 

about sevpnty. 

The United States sloop of war the Wasp, having re- 
turned from France, and refitted, put to sea again from 
the Delaware, on the 13th October, on a cruise. On the 
i7th she discovered five sail steering eastward, and as 
several of them had the appearance of ships of war, she 
was placed in a situation that she could escape from, or 
assail them, as circumstances might require. Keeping in 
the course she had descried them, on the following morn- 
ing, at daylight, they were seen ahead, and on being made 
out to be a convoy of six sail, under convoy of a sloop 
of war, the Wasp gave them immediate chase. , The 
convoy, under a heavy press of sail, all made their es- 
cape, and left the sloop of war to contend alone with 
the Wasp; though four of those, who avoided the con- 
flict, were heavy ships, and mounted 16 and 18 guns. 
The weather was extremely boisterous, and the sea so 
rough, that the Wasp's guns had already several times 
been under water, she nevertheless, prepared for action, 
and at 32 minutes past 11, came down to windward in 
handsome style, on the larboard side of the sloop of war, 
atid hailed her within about 60 yards. She was the British 



46 HISTORICAL S^CETCHES 

sloop the Frolic, captain AVhinyeates, of 22 guns, and 
at this moment shewed Spanish colours, but upon being 
hailed she immediately hauled them down, hoisted the 
English ensign, and commenced a fire of cannon and 
musketry. The action becoming .close, the Wasp re- 
ceived a shot which took away her main topmast, threw 
it over the fore and fore mainsail braces, and made her 
head yards unmanageable during the remainder of the 
•action. She was soon after wounded in her gaff and 
mizen topgallant sail, but kept up, notwithstanding, a 
close and galling fire as her side was going down with 
the swell of the sea, and every shot consequently struck 
the Fi'olic's hull. The English, as they were accustom- 
ed to do, fired as their ship was rising, and therefore, 
either missed their aim, or struck only the rigging of 
the Wasp. The Wasp shot ahead, gave a well directed 
broadside, took a station on the larboard bow of the Fro- 
lic, and gradually neared her, until she lay her on board, 
although while loading another, and the last broadside, 
the rammers of the guns struck the side of the enemy's 
vessel. The Frolic had long before slackened her fire, 
and her jibboom having now entered between the main 
and mizen rigging of tke "Wasp, two of th© latter's guns 
were brought through her bow ports, and swept her whole 
deck. The boarders were immediately called, and such 
was the anxiety of every man to be the first upon her 
deck, that several of them were pulled down upon their 
own ship from the bowsprit of the Frolic. Lieutenant 
Biddle, who was a supernumerary oflicer of tlie Wasp, 
had mounted the hammock cloth to board, but his feet 
getting entangled in the rigging of the Frolic's bowsprit, 
midshipma,n J. C Baker, in his enthusiastic ardour, caught 
the lieutenant by his coat, drew him back upon the 
Wasp's deck, and was himself the first officer on that of 
the enemy. Lieutenant Biddle, however, immediately 
sprang up, ascended the Frolic's bowsprit, and upon get- 
ting on her deck, found only a seaman at the wheel and 
three officers, who threw down their swords and yielded. 
The Frolic's colours were still flying, and lieutenant Bid- 
dle jumping into the rigging, pulled down the English 
ensign himself. Her birth deck was crowded with dead 
and M^ounded, and her main deck slippery with blood : 
her loss could not be accurately ascertained, as many of 
the dead had been swept into the sea by the' falling of 



OF THE^IiATE WAR. 47 

her rigging, and others were buried under the spars which 
had fallen on the deck; but by the declaration of her 
own officers, it could not be less than 30 killed and 
about 50 wounded. The Wasp lost 5 killed and 5 
wounded. Lieutenant Biddle was put on board the Fro- 
lic with a prize crew, with orders to make a southern 
port; but the approach of a British ship of the line, the- 
Poictiers, sir J. P. Beresford, of 74 ^uns, made it neces- 
sary for both ships to make sail for the most convenient. 
The Frolic was so much damaged, and the Wasp so dis- 
abled in her rigging, that the enemy closed upon them 
fast, fired a shot over, and passed, the Frolic, pursued 
the Wasp, made capture of both, and ordered them to 
Bermuda. * 

Thus terminated a spirited and brilliant contest of 43 
minutes, in the capture of an enemy's vessel, 4 guns su- 
perior at least, to her antagonist. The conduct of the 
American officers and seamen showed that they were not 
to be surpassed in promptitude or courage; to that of lieu- 
tenant Biddle and lieutenant Rodgers, first of the ship, 
and every other commissioned and waiTant officer on 
board, captain Jones has given official testimony. 

Lieutenant Booth and Mr. Rapp, and midshipmen 
Gaunt and Baker, the latter of whom soon after died in 
Bermuda, behaved with great personal bravery. Lieute- 
nant Claxton, who was confined by sickness, left his bed, 
went upon deck, and noted the incidents of the engage- 
nient with great composure. 

W^hen captain Jones returned from Bermuda, he re- 
ceived from his countrymen as many flattering testimo- 
nials of their approbation, as they had previously given to 
captain Hull. The legislatures of Massachusetts, New 
York, and Delaware, of which latter state he was a na- 
tive, presented him with their thanks, and several elegant 
swords and pieces of plate. The order of Cincinnati ad- 
mitted him into the society, as an honorary member, as 
they had captain Hull; and the congress of the United 
States voted him, his officers, and crew, 25,000 dollars, in 
consideration of the loss they had sustained, by not being 
able to bring in the Frolic. 

The next naval action took place on the 25th of Octo- 
ber, and terminated in the victory of the United States fri- 
gate the United States^ over the British frigate the Ma- 



48 HISTORICAL SKETCHED 

» 

cedonian, the command of which, upon her being brought 
into port, refitted and taken into the service, was given to 
lieutenant commandant Jones, who, as a further testimony 
of the high opinion which the executive entertained of his 
gallant conduct in the capture of the Frolic, was now pro- 
moted to the rank of post captain. The events of that en- 
gagement, in the order of succession, should have been 
recorded in the present chapter. They will be found, 
however, in another naval section of this work. 

Though the enemy gained no advantages over our 
forces on the ocean, which could counterbalance the dis- 
asters he sustained, by these successive triumphs of the 
American arms, his superior class of ships made capture 
of several of our smaller vessels of war. The squadron 
which had pursued the Constitution on the 18th of July, 
captured a day or two after the United States schooner 
Nautilus, of 12 guns, commanded by lieutenant comman- 
dant Crane: and on the 22d of November, (1 812) the United 
States schooner Vixen, lieutenant commandant George 
Washington Reed, of the same number of guns, was cap- 
tured; after a chase of nine hours and an half, by the Bri- 
tish frigate Southampton, sir James Lucas Yeo. Though 
tlie Vixen was commanded by a skilful and scientific 
seaman, and manned by as gallant a crew as any other 
American vessel, every effort to escape was found to be 
fruji^less, and she was at length surrendered to a ship, 
as much superior in sailinjr as in force. She had not 
long been captive to the enemy, before both vessels ran 
ashore, and were immediately wrecked. The frigate's 
crew became mutinous from intoxication, and the pro- 
perty which was saved from both wrecks, was retrieved 
by the generous and indefatigable exertions of the Ameri- 
can sailors. Captain Reed himself, was as actively en- 
gaged in the directioii and encouragement .of the men, as 
any of the British officers, and he received the public ac- 
knowledgments of sir James, accompanied by an offer 
of his parole to return home. But such were the noble 
sentiments by which he was ever actuated, .that he would 
not leave his officers and men, and preferring to remain 
with them in an unhealthy climate, to which they were 
taken, he became a victim to an obstinate fever, brought 
on by the anxieties and fatigues, to which, by his unplea- 
sant situation, and his unremitting attention to the com- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 49 

forts of his men, he was necessarily exposed. His inter- 
ment was attended by the British officers, and a detach- 
ment from the garrison, and his funeral obsequies were 
accompanied by thpse honours, due to his rank, and not 
usually withheld from each other by brave and generous 
enemies. 

A splendid triumph seldom fails to excite the general 
joy, and to call forth the universal admiration of the peo- 
ple. The rapid succession, in which the naval conquests 
followed each other; the superiority of seamanship and 
gunnery, which was exhibited in each ; and the fact being 
now well ascertained, that the inexperienced crews of the 
American navy, could not only sustain a conflict with, but 
might actually capture, the veteran seamen of the enemy, 
whenever chance should bring them together, upon equal 
terms; all contributed to turn the attention of congress to 
tlie marine establishment, and the majority of the nation 
became desirous that measures should be immediately 
adopted for its enlargement. 



CHAPTER HI. 

Ilostilities of the Creek Indians— -Fight near Davis* Creek^ 
Battle of the Lotchway town. 

Intelligence of the recent misfortune of the north- 
western army, of the assault upon the troops from fort 
Chicago, and of the advantages which were consequently 
expected to follow those events, having been communicated, 
by early despatches from the tribes on the northern, to 
those of the Creek nation on the soutliern fiontiers, fears 
were entertained that the result of a council of the chiefs 
of that nation, which was to be held on the 22d of October* 
(1812) would be unfavourable to the interests of that de- 
partment of the union; and that a coalition would be form- 
ed between the Indians of the two extremities, which might 
require all the energies of the government to suppress. 
To this council of the Creeks, their neighbours, the Chac- 

E 



50 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

tatvSi the Chickasaws, and the Cherokees, were invited, 
and if the dehberations of such a convention, should be 
influenced by the elation, evidently produced by the late 
successes of their northern red brothers, the v^^hole fron- 
tier from Tenessee, to the bay of Mobile, and all the set- 
tlements between Georgia and the Mississippi, and Tenes- 
see and Florida, would be subject to their depredations. 
The Seminoles, a tribe attached to the Creek nation, were 
already at war with the white people on the borders of 
East Florida, and had murdered several citizens on the 
Georgia side of the St. Mary's. The same hatchet which 
is raised by one of a chain of tribes, linked together by 
common, or confederated interests, is generally grasped 
-by all. The Creeks were not dilatory in following an ex- 
ample, which they at first pretended to restrain, and their 
outrages surpassed those of any of the northern nations. 
The British availing themselves of one of i\\e best har- 
bors in the Gulf of Mexico, sent several of their vessels, 
laden with the implements of war, to Pensacola. The com- 
mandant at St. Marks, a small Spanish settlement be- 
tween East and West Florida, informed the chiefs that 
the English would soon be there, with guns, knives, 
hatchets, and am-munition for the red people, whom they 
considered to be their friends. These were put into the 
hands of the Indians, and they commenced their hostili- 
ties against all the defenceless inhabitants of Tenessee 
and Georgia. The presence of an army became now ne- 
cessary in the south, and tlie states there, were autho- 
rized to call forth as many of the militia, as, in conjunc- 
tion with the regulars, might be thought competent to 
(juell the associated tribes. The Indians of the Creek 
nation, are not subject to any kind of restraint in war; 
they will neither give nor receive quarter, and pursue 
no other mode but that which leads to entire extermina- 
tion. The force necessary to combat such an enemy, must 
therefore be extensive, and the executives of the different 
states, made every exertion, to arm and equip the whole 
quota of the militia. 

The Semmoles had been committing depredations of 
the most daring nature, before they had any intelligence 
from their northern friends ; and uniting to their forces a 
number of negroes whom they had captured at Florida, 
they made frequent incursions into the state of Georgia, 



OF THE lATE WAR. 51 

murdered many inhabitants, and carried off much valua- 
ble plunder. On the night of the 11th of September, 
about twent}'^ American troops, principally of the marines, 
under command of captain Williams, of that corps, were 
marching with two wagons towards Davis' Creek. When 
within ten miles of their destination, they were attacked 
by a party of Indians and negroes, of about 50 in num- 
ber, with whom they contended until every cartridge 
was expended. Captain Williams, in the course of that 
time, received eight wounds, and was carried off by two 
of his men, leaving captain Fort, of the volunteers, to 
command the troops, and to keep up the contest ; but he 
being also wounded, and finding the strength of the party 
to be diminishing, retired in the best manner he could, 
and left the Indians in possession of the wagons and 
teams. ' The night was excessively dark, and several of 
the men, who were wounded, had concealed themselves 
in the bushes. On the following morning a detachment 
was sent from a block house a few miles off, to which 
some of the men had escaped, to examine the ground. 
They found captain Williams, with his right leg and left 
ai-m broken, his left leg shot through with one, and his 
right arm with three balls, and a wound through the 
lower part of his body. One man was killed and scalped, 
and the whole number of wounded amounted to six. The 
Indians destroyed one wagon, but took the other to carry 
off their dead and wounded — of whom the number was 
much greater than that of the marines. Captain Wil- 
liams languished for three or four days, and expired at 
Davis* Creek. 

On the 24th of the same month, colonel Newnan, of 
the Georgia volunteers, left Picolatta, with about 117 
men, for the Lotchway towns. On his third day's march, 
when within seven miles of the first of those towns, he 
was met by a body of about 150 Indians, all of whom 
were mounted. This meeting was very unexpected to 
the Indians ; but they immediately dismounted, formed 
a line of battle, and marched a few paces in advance. 
This movement was intended to intimidate the Geor- 
gians; but colonel Newnan gave orders for the charge, 
and determined to put an end to the encounter, by en- 
tirely subduing the Indians, or putting them to flight. 
The battle ground v/as situated midst a number of swamps. 



5^ HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

which bounded three of its sides. The Indians remained 
firm until the Georgians had advanced within fifty paces 
of their line, when they fled to these swamps for safety. 
The whole of the musketry being fired at them with 
precision, made great execution, and among others, kill- 
ed their leader, iting Paine. Hig tribe, on hearing of his 
fall, were resolved on rescuing his body from their ene- 
my; anti returned to the action for that purpose. Seve- 
ral charges were now made, and the Indians constantly 
driven back, until at length, they resolved on one despe- 
rate eftbrt, and recovering all their strength and spirits, 
made a push against the Georgians, which, though it was 
received with steadiness, could not be resisted with much 
vigour. The Indians obtained the body of king Paine, 
gave up the conflict, which had now lasted upwards of 
four hours, and carried oft* their killed and wounded, sup- 
posed to be between 20 and 30. In the course of the 
day, the Indians were reinforced from their towns, by 
other Indians and negroes; and renewed the action, which 
they kept up with tlie greatest obstinacy, until the volun- 
teers compelled them again to retreat. Their force in 
the second attack, was upwards of 200, but they were 
repulsed with nearly the same loss as in the first; whilst 
the volunteers' loss, in both, v/as but 1 killed, and 9 
wounded. 

Colonel Newnan's situation, was becoming extremely 
hazardous ; the enemy's numbers were hourly increas- 
ing, and they began to surround him on all sides ; he 
therefore threw up a small breastwork, from which he 
was determined to defend himself until ins troops should 
be reinforced also. He liad already despatched expresses, 
to procure additional numbers. His wounded men ren- 
dered liim unable to retreat or to advance; and he re- 
pelled every assault which was made upon this little 
work, until the 4th day of October. The Indians were 
continually hrarassing him, day and night; and finding 
they could make no impression on his fortification, they 
glutted tJieir insatiable vengeance, by shooting all his 
horses. On the 4th, a perfect silence prevailed within 
colonel Newnan's camp, and the Indians suspected from 
that, and the circumstance of their fire not having been 
returned the day preceding, that he had deserted it in the 
night Under this assurance, they approached the works, 



OF THE iATE WAR. 53 

without any tliought of opposition, until they were within 
forty paces of them, when the Georgian troops suddenly 
showed themselves, compelled the Indians to retreat with 
precipitation, and after several rapid discharges of mus- 
ketry, killed and wounded about 30 warriors more. They 
then decamped, without being molested, and were sta- 
tioned about 10 miles off, on the Picolatta road, where 
they were obliged to await the arrival of fresh horses and 
provisions. In his account of this affair, colonel Ne^nan 
gives great credit to every volunteer of his detachment; 
and their intrepid conduct, as well as his judicious ar~ 
rangements, served to give a check to the combined red 
and black warriors, which promised security, to the neigh- 
bourhood at least, until larger forces should be organized. 
Besides the loss of ICing Pained the Indians had three of 
the principal chiefs and their young governor slain ; and 
Boiv-legs, their second in command, severely wounded. 



CHAPTER ly. 

Organization oftheJ^orthivestern Jlrmy — Its disposition 
'—Command given to General Harrison — Defence of 
Fort Harrison — Siege of Fort Waijne—-'Expedition 
against the Indian towns. 

Immediately after tlie surrender of the garrisons 
at MichilimackinaCy Chicago^ and Detroit, measures 
were adopted for the organization and equipment of a 
new army. An offer had been made to receive volun- 
teers into the service, from the states and territories in 
the neighbourhood of Michigan ; ' and they came forward 
with an alacrity which made it unnecessary to hold out 
allurements. The recovery of the surrendered territory, 
and the re-estftblishment of its former civil government, 
were the strong motives, which induced all the brave, 
and patriotic men, in its vicinity, to take up arms, and 
march against the invaders. The inhabitants of that terri- 
tory, were now governed by an authority, too rigorous to 

E2 



54 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

be compatible with those notions of liberty inspired by the 
genius of their own constitution, and they were awaiting 
the expected succour from their friends, with the deepest 
anxiety. 

The new army was in readines| almost instantly, the 
different corps concentrated with unprecedented celerity, 
and by the early part of September, (1812,) their disposi- 
tion was completed. Two thousand Pennsylvania volun- 
teers, under brigadier general Crooks, left Pittsburgh for, 
the shores of lake Erie; general Tupper's brigade of Ohio 
volunteers, was to reti-ace the road which had been formed 
by the first army, from Urbanna to the Rapids ; and a bri- 
gade of Virginians, when they should arrive, under general 
Leftwhich, was to pursue the same route. General Payne's 
brigade of Kentucky volunteers, the first of the present 
army which was in readiness, and the 17ih United States* 
regiment, under colonel Wells, were to proceed to fort 
Wayne, and descend to the Rapids, of the Miami of the 
lakes, which place was assigned for the general rendez- 
vous. 

The command of the second northwestern army was 
^ven by the unanimous wishes of the troops composing 
it, to general W. H. Harrison; the immediate command of 
the Kentucky troops under general Payne, devolved on 
him, by his being breveted a major gereral by the gover- 
nor of that state. 

Forts Harrison and Wayne were at this time garrisoned 
only by a few regulars and volunteers ; numerous Biitish 
and Indian forces, had already marched from Maiden, to 
lay waste the Ohio frontier, and the latter post would na- 
turally be their leading point. Greneral Harrison there- 
fore immediately marched to its relief, v/ith Payne's 
brigade and the regulars. The former post (fort Harri- 
son) was invested on the 3d of September, by the Pro- 
phet's party from the Wabash. On the night of the 4th, 
they set fire to one of the block-houses, containing the 
contractor's property, and followed up that act, by a re- 
solute attack upon the fort. The garrison was command- 
ed by captain Z. Taylor, of the 7th U. S. infantry, and 
consisted of only 18 effective men. The flames were 
raging — ^the Indians, about 300 in number, howling in 
their usual horrid manner, and the women and children 



OF THE LATE WAR. 55 

of the ban-acks, looking up to captain Taylor, and implor- 
ing from him that protection, wliich tliey could scarcely 
expect to receive. When the block-house should be entirely 
consumed, a large entrance would be open to the enemy; 
no eftbrts had yet succeeded to extinguish the fire, its as- 
cendency baffled every attempt, and the men themselves 
began to despond. Two of the stoutest jumped over the 
picquets, with the hope of escaping in the dark; but one of 
them was cut to pieces, and scalped, and the other return- 
ed with his arm broken, and implored to be re-admitted 
into the fort. Under these discouraging circumstances, 
captain Taylor never suffered his presence of mind to 
forsake him ; and applying the only resource now left him, 
he ordered a small party to dislodge the roof of the house, 
so that it might fall in the space, whilst a few men in ano- 
ther house, were to keep up a continual fire upon the In- 
dians. His plan succeeded — the men became confident 
in their exertions, and a breastwork was formed under a 
heavy shower of bullets, along the cavity which the de- 
struction of the block-house produced. A desperate de- 
fence was now made, and a constant and rapid fire kept up 
until 6 o'clock in the morning of the 5t!i. Several furious 
assaults had been repulsed; and the Indians, at the ap- 
proach of day, judging the number of the garrison to be 
greater than it actually was, retired with a quantity of 
captured cattle, after having shot all the horses belonging 
to the fort. Doctor Clarke was the most indefatigable man 
in the engagement, and captain Taylor's good conduct was 
so highly applauded, that the president soon after pro- 
moted him to a majoiity. Two men only were killed, 
with the exception of the deserter, and one wounded. The 
Indians always carry oif tlieir dead, unless their numbers 
are too small; and their loss is seldom ascertained with- 
out great difficulty. All the provisions were consumed 
by the fire, and the garrison compelled to subsist on green 
corn, until reinforcements should come on with supplies. 
The little band, which was now reduced to 14 men, re- 
paired the damages sustained by the fort, and constiucted 
a stron<^ fortification across the space. The bastions were 
all put in the best state of defence, and every precaution 
adopted to sustain a second assault. To the great joy 
of the garrison, however, colonel William Rus3el arrived 



.ii^i: 



36 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

about the I6th, from Illinois, with 600 mounted ranger?, 
and 500 infantry; and fort Harrison became sufficiently 
manned, to resist the attack of a much larger body of the 
Prophet's warrriors. 

The situation of fort Wayne was now more critical, 
than that of any other fortress in the west. The Indians, 
who had proceeded from the battle ground of Chicago, 
were afterwards reinforced by those from Maiden, and 
they laid siege to this fortress in very large numbers. 
The troops in garrison, amounted to seventy. On the 
night of tlie 5th of September, the Indians commenced 
an attack ; they fired principally upon the sentinels, but 
did no injury. On the 6th, several of the men went out 
of the south gate of the fort, but had not proceeded more 
than seventy paces, when two of them were killed, and 
by the exertions of their companions, their bodies' were 
carried into the fort, to protect them against savage in- 
dignities. During the night another attack was made by 
the whole force of the Indians, and wlien they approach- 
ed the fort, it was confidently expected they would scale 
the works; but the incessant fire of the garrison com- 
pelled them to abandon their design. What they could 
not do by force, they then attempted by stratagem. Re- 
sort was had to all kinds of artifice, and they at length 
brought up two wooden pieces, which they had contrived 
in imitation of cannon, to persuade the garrison, that the 
British had supplied tliem with battering pieces, to re- 
duce the place. These were brought up, and one of 
their chiefs threatened to batter down the walls, unless 
the troops would immediately capitulate; or to storm 
them on the following day, when they would be reinforced 
by 700 other warriors. In three days they menaced an 
entire massacre ; but the troops in fort W\ayne, still 
hoping that it would be relieved by the arrival of the ex- 
pected volunteers, resolved to hold out, until every arti- 
cle of provision should be exhausted. No other attempts 
Were made upon the fort, until the 9th, when a firing was 
commenced, and continued at intervals all day, but with- 
out doing any damage. On the succeeding day, they be- 
gan their war whoop, renewed their fire, and were again 
Unsuccessful. Not a man was killed in any of their at- 
tacks; the only wounds which they inflicted, being upon 



OF THE LATE WAR. 57 

those, who ventured without the fort. On the evening of 
the 12th, general Harrison's forces reached the garrison, 
and the whole Indian body precipitately fled. On the 
arrival of the troops at that place, Logman, (who will be 
spoken of liereafter,) went forward with about 700 men, 
raised an Indian yell, and pursued the retreating tribes. 
This signal was answered by them, at the di&tance of only 
150 yards; but the intervention of the river, and several 
other obstacles, prevented the pursuit being attended with 
effect. 

The depredations which they had committed about 
the fort, were as inhuman as they were extensive. All 
the stock upon the neighbouring farms was destroyed ; the 
corn, all the small grain, and every house burned ; and all 
the horses and cattle killed. The Indian agent, Stephen 
Johnson, was murdered, and his body treated with shock- 
ing indecency; and every act, indicative of savage ven- 
geance was committed. 

The approach of the regulars and volunteers, prevent- 
ed, perhaps, the destruction of the fields at a greater dis- 
tance, and secured a supply of Indian corn for the garri- 
son. But the great augmentation of the troops, made it 
necessary to obtain supplies of other provisions, from the 
towns ot those tribes, which had been so active in de- 
stroying what the farms might have afforded. It was now 
high time, too, to make the Indians feel those effects of 
the war, which their repeated cinfelties had provoked; and 
to convince them, that the Ameiican troops were not so 
contemptible and degraded, as they, the Indians, might 
conclude them to be from the surrender of the late com- 
mander in chief, on tlie same station. General Harrison, 
therefore, divided his forces into scouting parties, under 
comn«nd of his most active oificers. Several expeditions 
were sent forward, against the Indian settlements, and 
some expectations entertained, that they might be drawn 
into battle. But they did not betray the same willing- 
ness to combat these corps, which they had heretofore 
sliov/n to encounter others. The Kentuckians were held 
in great dread, by most of the Indian warriors, and the 
expression of " ICentuc too much," has not unfrequently 
accompanied their orders to retreat. 

On the 14th September, general Harrison despatched 



58 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

colonel Wells, with his own, and colonel Scott's regi- 
ments, and 200 mounted riflemen, with instructions to 
proceed up the river St. Josejjh, which, with the St. 
Mary's forms the Miami of the Lakes, and to destroy the 
PotciLvatomie towns at Elk Hart. Another detachment, 
consisting of colonels Allen and Lewis' regiments, and 
captain Garrard's troop, under command of general Payne, 
but which the commander in chief accompanied, proceed- 
ed on the same day to the destruction of the IMiami 
towns, on the forks of the Wabash. The object of each 
expedition was accomplished without opposition, the In- 
dians of those tribes having abandoned their villages, and 
the different detachments returned to the fort on the 18th. 

General Winchester, of the United. States army, ar- 
rived at fort Wayne, immediately after the expedition 
against the Indian villages, and the command of the de- 
tachments under general Payne and colonel Wells, was 
resigned to him, in obedience to the orders of the war de- 
partment. The volunteers, who had centred all their af- 
fections in the person of the commander of their choice, 
were not satisfied with this change, until general Harri- 
son reminded them of the revolutionary services of his 
successor, and communicated to them the instructions 
from the department, confirming him in the command of 
all the troops, but those which were assigned to general 
Winchester. 

The strength of this army was continually augmenting. 
Volunteer associations, to a greater number than it was 
politic to receive into the service, were in the same day, 
formed, equipped, and ready to march against the ene- 
my, and a selection was made from among them, of such 
a force as was at that time required, in conjunction with 
the troops which had already marched, to make th» army 
complete. But such was the patriotic impetuosity of the 
western people, that many of the corps who were not for- 
tunate enough to be received, immediately provided them- 
selves at their own expense, and insisted upon accompa- 
nying their fellow citizens to the field. 

The siege of fort .-.Wayne having been raised by the 
Indians, it now entered into the views of the two gene- 
rals to march forces to the relief of the intermediate gar- 
risons between that place and Detroit, against which an 



OF THE LATE WAR. 5^ 

ultimate movement was to be made; the leading object 
of the expedition being to regain the ground which had 
been lost, and to retrieve the late disaster, not only by 
repossessing that fortress, but by the capture of Maiden, 
and all the great rallying points of the northern Indians. 
Through the exertions of the indefatigable governor of 
Ohio,* every necessary supply was forwarded with the 
greatest possible despatch, and general Winchester there- 
fore advanced to fort Defiance, whilst general Harrison 
fixed his head quarters at St. Mary's, distant from the ^ 
former post, 60 miles. The troops destined for fort De- 
fiance amounted to about 2000. On the 22d of Septem- 
ber, (1812) they marched cautiously in three divisions, the 
baggage being in the centre, and a company of spies, un- 
der captain Ballard, protected by Garrard's troop of dra- 
goons, about one or two miles in front. As it was neces- 
sary to guard against surprise from a watchful enemv, 
whose principle it is to assault his foe whilst sleeping, 
they encamped each day at three o'clock, and threw up 
breastworks around the tents, at the distance of about 
twenty paces. On the fourth day's march, ensign Lio-ett 
of the regulars, and four of the volunteers, proposed, and 
were permitted, to go forward and discover the strength 
and situation of the enemy at Defiance, which was then 
distant about 25 miles. But their enterprise, which was 
too hazardous for any but experienced men, entirely 
failed. These adventurous young men were assailed on 
the night of the 25 th, and thougli they defended them- 
selves until their strength was exhausted, were overpower- 
ed, killed, tom-hawked, and scalped in the usual barba- 
rous manner of the Indians. 

* His excellency Return J. IMeigs, the present postmaster ge- 
neral of the United States, whose active zeal in the service of his 
country, was manifested in his administration of the civil affairs 
of the state over which he presided, before and after the com- 
mencement of hostilities. When the invasion of Oh'io was threat- 
ened by general Brock, after he had taken possession of IVlichi- 
gan, governor Meigs, with incessant diligence, highly honourable 
to his patriotism, equipped, provided, and organized one amiy 
after another, until the safety of the state was secured; and the 
mass of the inhabitants of that devoted teri'itory, fled to him for 
protection. Several members of his own family were among the 
volunteers, and one of his brothers, was one of the three men 
killed at the siege of fort Wayne. 



60 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

On the 27th, captain Ballard, wh6 was distinguished in 
that army for his courage and prudence, was ordered to 
go out with his company of spies, supported by forty of 
Garrard's dragoons, and bury the bodies of the young 
men, whose fate was now ascertained in camp. When 
within about two miles of the spot where they had fallen, 
Ballard discovered an Indian ambuscade ; but as he had 
marched his men in two divisions, placing one on each 
side of an Indian trace, through which the enemy sup- 
posed the volunteers would advance, the ambuscade be- 
came useless, and the Indians succeeded in gaining an 
eminence: whilst they were forming, captain Ballard 
gave them a galling fire, which thej immediately return- 
ed, accompanied by a loud and terrific yell. Ballard or- 
dered up the horse, and charged upon, and put them to 
the rout. Pursuit was given, but the enemy knew the 
country better than the dragoons, and escaped into the 
swamps and thickets, with the loss of 4 or 5 wounded. 
No injury of consequence enough to name was sustained 
by the volunteers. 

On the 28th, Ballard's spies were again sent forward, 
and discovered a fresh trail of Indians. On communi- 
cating which to the general, he ordered 20 troopers to 
cross the river, to ascertain whether the wagons could 
pass, and on finding a tolerable ford, the whole army 
crossed about five mUes above fort Defiance, and encamp- 
ed on its bank. At 100 yards from the edge of the river, 
another trail was discovered, when captain Garrard was 
despatched, with 20 of his troop, to proceed and ascer- 
tain by whom it was made. Three miles below general 
Winchester's encampment, and two miles above fort De- 
fiance, the enemy were observed to be encamped in large 
numbers, with war poles erected, and the bloody flag 
flying. When the army commenced its march from fort 
Wayne, the troops were provided with six day's rations 
only; but colonel Jenning-'s regiment was to meet them 
with provisions at fort Defiance. At a certain point on 
the ,3ux Glai%py the colonel was directed to halt, and 
erect a block house, which having done, he ascertained by 
his spies, that the British and Indians were encamped near 
tlie foi't, and without reinforcements it would have been 
imprudent to liave proceeded further. Late on the night 
of tlie 29th, he therefore forwarded an express to general 



OF THE LATE WAR. 61 

Winchester, to make known his situation, 40 miles above 
fort Defiance ; and as the troops were now nearly starv- 
ing, captain Garrard proceeded with great despatch to 
colonel Jenning's regiment, to escort, with his dragoons, 
a brigade of packhorses with provisions for their relief, 
and eftected a hazardous tour in 36 hours, though all that 
time drenched with incessant rain. 

General Winchester seeing that his force was far infe- 
rior to that of the newly discovered enemy, and finding 
himself in their immediate vicinity, despatched expresses 
to general Harrison at the St. Mary's, to obtain reinforce- 
ments, and to apprise him of the situation of the left wing. 
Expecting the required relief in a few days, he put his 
encampment in a state of defence, by fortifying himself 
on the front and sides, and kept out reconnoitring par- 
ties, who were to communicate with him, the moment the 
enemy should come out to attack him. On the other hand, 
the enemy had possession of fort Defiance, and were re- 
pairing and enlarging its armament. 



CHAPTER V. 

The British evacuate Fort Defiance — Death of Logan — 
Battle on the Mississiuewa — The left wing of the army 
moves from Fort Defiance to the Rapids — Excursion 
of the Kentucky brigade, into Indiana, 

General Harrison, on receiving general Winches- 
ter's despatch, immediately began his march with general 
Tupper's mounted men, and arrived at the encampmenlj 
near Defiance, when he moved forward with the whole 
force to attack that fort. But the British and Indians 
had evacuated it, as soon as they heard of his approach, 
and taking away the cannon with which they had in- 
creased the armament, proceeded down the Miami to the 
Rapids. The mounted men were ordered to pursue the 
retreating enemy, and to destroy their encampment at that 
place ; and general Harrison left fort Defiance, on the 5tli, 
(October) to join tiie right wing of the army, and to con- 

F 



62 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

centrate the whole at the appointed rendezvous, at the 
Miami of the Lakes. After bis departure, general Win- 
chester countermanded the order to general Tupper, and 
the expedition against the Indians at the Rapids, was con- 
sequently frustrated. Until the contemplated concentra- 
tion could be eftected, no movement could be made which 
would promote the ultimate object of the campaign, and 
the troops at fort Defiance, which now assumed the name 
of fort Winchester, remained in that garrison until the 
14th of December (1812). 

In this interval, Logan, with about 30 fiiendly Indians, 
attempted to examine the movements, and situation of the 
enemy on the Miami, where his party was discovered and 
dispersed. Logan and 6 of them returned, the remain- 
der escaped in another direction. 

On the 22d of November, he was again ordered by 
general Winchester, to take two Indians [Bright-Horn 
and Capt John), and go forward to make discoveries. 
Early in the day, they were met and captured by captain 
Elliot, son of the British colonel of that name, and the 
celebrated hostile chief, Wynemack, and a party of 4 In- 
dians. Logan resorted to a stratagem, by which he per- 
suaded Wynemack, that he had come to join him, and he 
and his two men, were therefore, allowed to carry their 
arms" and march in front. Logan having communicated 
to his comrades his determination to rescue himself or 
perish in the effort, they suddenly turned upon their ene- 
my on the first opportunity, and each brought his man to 
the ground; Wynemack being among them. The remain- 
ing tliree fired in return, shot Logan and Bright-Horn, 
the former in tlie breast, and immediately retired. Logan 
exchanged the shot, notwithstanding the severity of liis 
wound, and both he and Bright-Horn, mounted the 
horses of Wynemack and Elliot, (wliilst Capt John pro- 
tected tlieir retreat,) and returned to fort Winchester. 
On the 28th, Logan died with the firmness of a soldier, 
sincerely regretted by the whole garrison, in the vicinity 
of which he was buried with every mark of distinction. 

At Franklinton, general Harrison was actively em- 
ployed in forwarding ammunition, pieces of ordnance, 
ordnance stores, provisions, &c. and arranging depots for 
their reception, on the road designated for the march of 
the right wing of the army. On the 18th of November^ 



OF THE LATE AVAR. 63 

he sent lieut. col. J. B. Campbell with a detachment of 
600 men, on an expedition against the Indians of the 
Miavdi tribes, residing- in the Mississinewa towns. On the 
morning of the 17th December, the detachment charged 
oh the first of those towns, drove the Indians across the 
Mississinewa river, killed 7 warriors, and took 37 prison- 
ers. During this contest a part of the detachment was 
sent to the other towns, which being already evacuated by 
the inhabitants, were immediately destroyed, and the de- 
tachment returned to the ground first occupied. On the 
morning of the 18th, at daylight, the camp was attacked 
by a number of Indians, of the Miami and Delaware 
tribes, amountino: to about 300. The attack commenced 
on the right of the line, which was occupied by major 
Ball's squadron of horse, who gallantly contended against 
them for one hour, and sustained almost the whole con- 
flict. The Indians then fell back, and were courageously 
charged by captain Trotter at the head of his company 
of Kentucky dragoons. In this charge captain Trotter 
was wounded in the hand: the Indians lied with great 
velocity, and were pursued as far as was thought prudent. 
Captain Pierce, of the Zanesville troop, was killed in the 
act of charging. Lieutenant AVaitz was shot through the 
arm, but being; resolved on losing no share of honour,' he 
remounted his liorse, and in that act was killed by a shot 
through the head. He was of the Pennsylvania volunteers. 
Captains Markle and M*Clelland of the same corps, and 
captains Garrard and Hopkins were complimented by the 
commanding general. Lieutenant colonel Simmerall, ma- 
jor M*Dowell, and captains Hite and Smith, are said to 
have gallantly distinguished themselves; and the whole 
detachment, after exhibiting throughout a great degree of 
patience, fortitude and coolness, rendered the victory more 
honourable to the American arms, by respecting the high 
and inestimable principles of humanity, and rendering 
them, as they ever ought to be, inseparable from bravery. 
The general's orders, on their departure, were to that 
etFect, and the most rigid obedience was paid to them. 
The battle being ended, and the object of the expedition 
completely accomplished, colonel Campbell commenced 
his march for Greenville on his return, having first for- 
warded an express for reinforcements, Tecumseh being 
reported to be in the neighbourhood with 500 warriors, 



64 HISTOEIXJAL SKETCHES 

and the name of Tecumseh had now become terrible. If 
the detachment should be intercepted, an obstinate en- 
gagement must follow, and by the morning report of the 
•24th, 303 of the men were rendered unfit for duty, by 
being frost-bitten ; an attack from a superior body of In- 
dians could not therefore be sustained with any prospect 
of success. The detachment reached Greenville, however, 
without being once molested, and the citizens received the 
troops with marks of admiration and gratitude. In the 
destruction of the first town, the American loss was 1 
killed and -1 wounded In the action of the following 
morning, 8 were killed and 25 wounded — the Indian loss 
in killed was known to be 40; the number of wounded 
could not be ascertained. The prisoners were brought 
away by the detachment. Much astonishment was ex- 
pressed that the Indians did not attack the detachment in 
its retrograde movement, but this circumstance may be 
attributed to the loss of their prophet, who it is supposed, 
was killed in the second engagement. 

Notwithstanding the season was already so far ad- 
vanced, and the difficulties in marching against the ene- 
my every day increasing, general Harrison was too stea- 
dily determined on the recovery of Michigan, and the 
subjugation of Maiden and the country surrounding it, 
to be put aside from his views by any such obstacles. 
Every implement was provided which might possibly be 
necessary; the military stores and trains of artillery were 
already at the dilFerent depots, and the troops from Penn- 
sylvania being at Mansfield, those from Virginia at Dela- 
ware, and those from Ohio at fort M'Arthui-, the purposed 
concentration could be almost immediately effected. — 
General Winchester with the left wing, moved from fort 
Winchester to the Rapids, in conformity to the previous 
order of general Harrison, who was now commissioned 
a major general in the army of the United States, and 
appointed to the command of the northwestern army. A 
line of posts was to be established, and 'strong fortifica- 
tions erected, as intermediate places of rendezvous, at 
equal distances between Defiance" and Detroit: and, that 
he might with more convenience superintend the build- 
ing of these, the commander in chief fixed his head quar- 
ters at Upper Sandusky. 

A brigade of Kentuckians had been sent into the In- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 65 

diana territory, under general Samuel Hopkins, with in- 
structions to attack every settlement on the Wabash, and 
then to fall upon the Illinois. On the 11th November 
they marched from fort Harrison, with a view to the de- 
struction of the Prophet's town. Seven boats, with pro- 
visions, forage and military stores, commanded by colo- 
nel Barbour, accompanied the expedition, and the troops 
marched, on the east side of the Wabash, to protect them, 
until the 19th, when they reached the tovvn, and were 
engaged three days in the destruction of it, and a large 
Kickapoo village adjoining, while general Butler with 
300 men, surrounded and destroyed the Wynehago town 
on the Ponce-passu creek; each of these towns had been 
abandoned by the Indian warriors, and a small party was 
sent out to reconnoitre the surrounding woods, and to 
seek out their hiding places. Several Indians showed 
themselves, fired on the party, killed one man, and com- 
pelled the others to retire. This occurrence was no 
sooner made known to the troops, than 60 horsemen 
ottered to proceed to the ground, to bury their compa- 
nion, and to encounter the enemy. When they attained 
the point, near the Indian encampment, they were fired 
upon from an ambuscade, and 1 8 of the party killed and 
wounded ; among them, several promising young officers. 
The enemy had taken possession of a strong defensive 
position, in which there was no hope of effectually as- 
sailing him, having a deep rapid creek, in its rear, in the 
form of a semicircle, and being fronted by a high and 
almost perpendicular bluft", of 100 feet, which could only 
be penetrated by tliree steep ravines. The death of these 
gallant young men, excited a spirit of revenge among 
the troops, and they moved forward under a heavy fall of 
snow, determined to attack tlie enemy in his strong hold, 
at every risk. But on arriving at the place, they found 
that the Indians had evacuated it, and crossed over Ponce- 
passu on their retreat. Tliere being now no certain point 
to which the operations of the troops could be directed, 
general Hopkins gave orders for their retun. to fort Har- 
rison, where they arrived after an absence of 16 days, 
having in that time traversed 100 miles of a country, of 
which, to use the words of their commander, they had no 

F 2- 



66 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 



CHAPTER VI. 



Armrican forces on the JYiagara and St. Lawrence — *9n 
affair upon the latter — Expedition against Gananoque 
— Bombardment of Ogdensbiirg—»8ttack upon it — 
Disposition of the forces on the JSTiagara — Descrip- 
tioji of ({ueenstown — Battle of Queenstown Heights—' 
Death of General Brock — Defeat of the American 
forces — Cannonade between Fort' George and Fort JVi- 
agar a — ,An affair below Ogdensburg — Pikers incur- 
sion into Canada — Bombardment of Fort JSTiagara — 
Capture of the enemy* s baggage at St. Regis'— General 
Smyth* s proclamation — The British batteries opposite 
Black Rock stormed and carried — Abandoned by the 
Americans, they open afire on the battery at the Rock. 

Whilst these events were transpiring in the west- 
ern department of the union, dispositions had been made, 
and troops collected at the different stations along the 
Niagara river; from the lake Erie to the lake Ontario; 
and beyond the latter, along the shore of the St. Law- 
rence. Excursions from the American to the British 
shores of the rivers, had been . frequently made, and on 
some occasions, were followed by smart skirmishes.' — 
The chief command of these forces was given to major 
general Dearborn. The immediate command of the 
troops on the Niagara, to major general Van Rensselaer, 
of the militia of the state of New York. Brigadier gene- 
ral Smyth was stationed at Black Rock. The troops on 
the St, Lawrence were principally garrisoned at Ogdens- 
burg, and commanded by brigadier general Brown, also 
of the New York militia. 

On the 15th of September (1812), 25 British boats 
passed Madrid up the St. Lawrence, laden with military 
stores and munitions of war. About 140 of the militia from 
Ogdensburg and Hamilton, with one gun boat, posted 



or THE XATE WAR. . 67 

themselves on an island to obstruct their passage. The 
enemy approaching the liead of the river, brought himself 
immediately in front of this island, when a rapid and well 
directed fire made him ply for the opposite shore, where 
he took shelter in the woods. The militia had no small 
boats to pursue the flying squadron, and the British had 
time to rally, to procure assistance, and to return to a 
contest. This they did, with little delay, and after an 
action of three hours, they were reinforced by two gun 
boats and a large body of men from Prescott. The mi- 
litia being then outnumbered, their ammunition nearly 
exhausted, and their loss 1 man killed and 2 wounded, 
abandoned the enterprise, and returned to their respec- 
tive quarters. The injury sustained by the enemy has 
never been known. 

Captain Forsythe, of the rifle regiment, being at the 
garrison of Ogdensburg, projected an expedition against 
a small village in the town of Leeds, in Canada, called 
Gananoque. In tiiis village was the king's store house, 
containing immense quantities of arms and ammunition, 
and captain Forsythe was resolved on its destruction. In 
the night of the 20th September, therefore, a number of 
boats being provided, he embarked with 70 of his own 
men, and 34 militia men. Before daylight of the 21st, 
they reached the Canadian shore, and landed, unobserv- 
ed, at a little distance from the village. The enemy soon 
after discovered them, and they were fired on by a party 
of 125 regulars and militia. Foi:sythe drew up his men, 
and returned their fire with su<:h effect, that the British 
retreated in disorder, and were pursued to the village, 
where they rallied, and resolved on making a stand, and 
disputing the passage of a bridge. An action took place 
here, which resulted in the same manner as the. former. 
The enemy again fled, making his escape over the bridge, 
and leaving 10 of his nuinber killed, 8 regulars and seve- 
ral militia men prisoners, and the village and store house 
in possession of the American party. Captain Forsythe 
lost 1 in killed and 1 wounded. After releasing the mi- 
litia prisoners on their parole, and taking out a quantity 
of arms, fixed ammunition, powder, flints, and other arti- 
cles of public property, and setting iire to the store house, 
he returned to Cape Vincent with these, and the eight 
regular prisoners. 



68 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

In retaliation for this daring exploit, the enemy deter- 
mined on attacking and destroying the town of Ogdens- 
biirg. Opposite to this is situated the Canadian village' 
of Prescott, before which the British had a. strong line of 
breastworks. On the 2d of October they Opened a heavy 
cannonading on the town from their batteries, and con- 
tinued to bombard it with little intermission until the 
night of the 3d: one or two buildings only were injured. 
On Sunday, the 4th, having prepared 40 boats, with from 
10 to 15 armed men in each, they advanced with six 
pieces of artillery, to storm the town. General Brown 
commanded at Ogdensburg in person, and when the ene- 
my had advanced within a short distance, he ordered his 
troops to open a warm fire upon them. The British, ne- 
vertheless, steadily approached the shore, and kept up 
their fire for two hours; during which, they sustained the 
galling fire of the Americans, until one of their boats was 
taken, and two others so shattered, that their crews were 
obliged to abandon them; they then relinquished the as- 
sault, and fled to Prescott. 

The success of the detachment, which had proceeded 
against the brigs Detroit and Caledonia, on the 9th Octo- 
ber, excited a strong spirit of enterprise among the troops 
at the different stations along the Niagara. The whole 
number under the command of general Van Rensselaer, 
amounted, as it is said, to 5800, and were disposed of in 
the following manner : 2900, with which he was himself 
stationed, at and near. Lewistown ; 1300 regulars, in- 
cluding a detachment of the 2d artillery, commanded by 
lieutenant colonel Scott, under general Smyth, near Black 
Rock, distant from Lewistown, 28 miles; 500 militia and 
volunteers, at Black Rock and Schlosser; six companies 
of field and light artillery (300), and about 500 of the 6th 
and 13th regiments, and 300 of the 23d, under major 
MuUany, at the fort Niagara. 

The general was pressed from all quarters to give the 
troops an opportunity of distinguishing themselves ; and 
his own opinion was, that the crisis of the campaign was 
rapidly advancing, and, as he informed the commander in 
cliief, " That the hloiv must he soon struck, or the toil and 
" expense of the campaign go for nothing; for the whole 
'* ivill be tinged with dishonour," 



OF THE LATE WAR. 69 

Under these circumstances, and influenced by these 
impressions, he ordered the reo;ulars, under lieutenant 
colonel Fenwick and major Mullany, to leave fort Niaa;a- 
ra, and proceed to his head quarters at Lewistown. The 
same orders were issued to general Smyth's brigade* 
When the British general Brock had made arrangements 
for the civil government of Michigan, and had appointed 
such officers as he thought necessary to its administra- 
tion, he transferred the command of Detroit to colonel 
Proctor, and moved his own quarters to fort George, that 
he mis[;ht facilitate the preparations on the Niagara fron- 
tier. But general Van Rensselaer received intelligence, 
which was thought to warrant a movement into Canada, 
and was at the same time informed, that general Brock 
had returned to Detroit (upon hearing of the preparations 
in the west, for the recovery of that post), and had taken 
with him such troops as could with safety- be spared from 
fort Erie and fort George. He therefore promised his 
army, that they should cross over and act against Queens- 
town ; and it was for tliis purpose tliat the regulars were 
ordered from fort Niagara and the Rock. The posses- 
sion of Queenstown was important to the success of the 
American arms in Canada, in this, or in any futui^e cam- 
paign. It is a handsome town, below the falls of Niagara, 
at the head of the navigable waters of that strait, and im- 
mediately opposite Lewistown; a place of depot for the 
merchandise for all the country above, and for the public 
stores, and the line of posts along the Niagara and De- 
troit rivers. It has an excellent harbour, and good an- 
chorage; the banks on both sides are elevated, and the 
landscape is among the most splendid and sublime. 

It was intended, that the attack on Queenstown should 
be made in the morning of the 11th October, at 3 o'clock, 
and the embarkation was to take place from the old ferry, 
opposite the heights, to which situation, experienced boat- 
men were employed to navigate the boats, from the land- 
ing below. The river here is one sheet of violent eddies, 
jind an officer who was considered to be the most skil- 
ful for such a service, was sent ahead; but in the ex- 
treme darkness of the night passed the intended point of 
embarkation, far up the river, and very unaccountably, 
fastened his boat containing nearly all the oars of the 
other boats, to the shore, and. abandoned the detachment. 



70 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

The ardour of the officers and men was not the least 
abated through the night, though they were exposed to a 
tremendous northeast storm, which prevailed for twenty- 
eight hours, and in that time deluged the whole camp. 
But they were mortified by this distressing dilemma, and 
the appearance of daylight having extinguished every 
prospect of success, the detachments returned to camp, 
and an express was sent to Black Rock, to countermand 
the orders to general Smyth. The miscarriage of the 
plan had no other eftect than to increase the ardour of 
the troops, and they impatiently awaited the arrival of 
orders, which would bring them into personal opposition 
with the enemy. Arrangements were therefore made 
to that effect, and the night of the 12th was designated 
for the operation. Two columns, one of 300 militia, un- 
der colonel Van Rensselaer, aftd another of 300 regulars, 
under lieutenant colonel Christie, were to pass over toge- 
ther. Tliirteen boats were provided for their conveyance, 
and when the heights should be carried, lieutenant colonel 
Fenwick's flying artillery were to cross over; then m.ajor 
Mullany's detachment of regulars; and the other troops 
to follow in order. Early in the night, colonel Christie 
marched his detachment by the rear r.oad, from Niagara 
to camp. At seven in the evening, lieutenant colonel 
Stranahan's regiment moved from Niagara falls; at eight 
o'clock. Mead's regiment; and at nine, lieutenant colonel 
Blan's regiment. Each corps was in camp in proper 
time. At the dawn of day, the boats were in readiness, 
and the troops embarked early in the morning of the 1 3th, 
undercover of a commanding battery, mounting twa 18 
pounders and two 6's. 

Wliilst these preparations were going forward, the 
British at Queenstown were surreptitiously apprised of 
the contemplated movement of the American troops ; and 
they despatched expresses to give intelligence to general 
Brock, who was at that moment quartered at fort George. 
— The heights were lined with troops, and measures in- 
stantly adopted to repel the debarkation. The boats had 
scarcely put off, before they received a brisk fire of mus- 
ketry, from the whole line on the Canadian shore. The 
American batteries were immediately opened to sweep 
the opposite shore, and three British batteries played with 
great severity upon the boats. Lieutenant colonel Scott, 



OF THE LATE WAH. 71 

of the 2d artillery, with a detachment of that, regiment 
from Black Rock, had readied Schloss^r, by water, on 
the nio;ht preceding, without being formally apprised of 
the halt of general Smyth's brigade, to which he was at- 
tached. On his arrival here, he learned the intention of 
general Van Rensselaer, and commenced his march for 
Lewistown, after midnight, with two 6 pounders, under 
the command of captains Towson and Barker, and, not- 
withstanding the extreme badness of the roads, rendered 
still more difficult of passage by the darkness of the night, 
he arrived in time to return the first of the enemy's fire, 
and, by drawing a portion of the attention of his batte- 
ries tov/ardshimself, to facilitate the crossing of the Ame- 
rican volunteers and regulars. The eddies in the river 
were violent ; the shot from the enemy fell in heavy 
showers on the boats, and the difficulty of combating the 
former, and avoiding the latter, not only embarrassed the 
officers, but put many. of the oarsmen into confusion. 
A grape shot from a battery below Queenstown, which 
enfiladed the place of crossing, struck the boat in which 
was lieutenant colonel Christie, wounded him in the hand, 
and alarmed the pilot and boatmen so, that the boat fell 
below the intended place of landing, and was obliged to 
return. The boats in which major Mullany followed the 
two columns, fell also below the point, two of them into 
the hands of the enemy, and that officer also returned. 
But colonel Van Rensselaer, who commanded the whole 
detachment, and whose boats formed the van, moved to. 
the enemy's shore, succeeded in touching it at the desig- 
nated place, and effected the landing of the van, consist- 
ing of 100 men, under a tremendous tire, directed upon 
hiin from every point. In ascending the banks, the colo- 
nel received four balls. Captain Armstrong, captain Mal- 
colm, and captain Wool, were wounded, and ensign Mor- 
ris was killed. A party of the British then issued from 
an old fort below^ QueenstoM-n, but being fired on by the 
Americans, immediately retreated. A strong battery, 
which fired incessantly upon the van, oblIp;ed it to retire 
under the banks, where colonel Van Rensselaer lay wound- 
ed, who, though in excruciating pain, with great difficulty, 
stood up, and ordered his officers to proceed with rapidity 
and storm the fort, and, if possible, to ascend and carry 



72 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

tlie heights. The men were instantly rallied. About 60 
of the most determined, commanded by captain Ogilvie, 
seconded by captain Wool, though wounded, and lieuter 
nants Karney, Carr, Hugginan, and Sammons, and ensign 
Reeve, of the 13th ; and lieutenants Gansevoort and Ran- 
dolph, of the artillery, cautiously mounted the rocks on 
the right of the fort, gave three cheers, and assailed and 
reduced it after three? desperate cliarges. They then car- 
ried the heights, and thus gallantly executed the whole 
order of the colonel, driving the enemy down the hill in 
every direction. A party of them retreated behind a stone 
guard house, where a piece of ordnance was briskly serv- 
ed, but a fire from the battery at Lewistown, was so effec- 
tually directed upon it, that it was in a few minutes si- 
lenced. The British then retreated behind a large stone 
house. • The American matrosses were ordered to turn the 
guns of the fort upon them, but lieutenant Gansevoort had 
hastily spiked the cannon, and they were now therefore 
useless. The enemy's fire was silenced, however, with 
the exception of^one gun, which was out of reach of the 
American cannon ; and the boats were crossing, unan- 
noyed, but by this battery. Reinforcements arrived after 
this brilliant success, under captain Gibson of the light 
artillery, captain M'Chesney of the 6th, and captain Law- 
rence of the 13th, infantry; and colonels Mead, Strana- 
han, Allen, and other militia officers. At about 10 o'clock, 
the British line was re-formed, and flanking parties sent 
out. Lieutenant colonel Christie succeeded in getting 
across the river with 500 men, and took command. Ge- 
neral Brock, having received the expresses which were 
forwarded to him, arrived at this moment, at the head of 
a reinforcement of regulars from fort George. He had 
led them round the heights to the rear of the battery, when 
captain Wool detached 160 men to meet them. The de- 
tachment was driven back, but being immediately reiri- 
forced, pressed forward again, and was again driven back 
to the brink of the precipice, forming tlie Niagara river 
above Queenstown. Seeing that notliing short of a miracle 
could save the detachment from being beaten ; that they 
were nearly without ammunition, and supposing it use- 
less to sacrifice the lives of brave men, one of the officers 
was in the act of hoisting a white flag on a bayonet, when 



OF THE LATJi WAR. 73 

captain Wool, knowing, that if the men held out a short 
while longer, they would be relieved by reinforcements, 
tore down the flag, and ordered his officers instantly to 
rally the troops and bring them to a charge. At this mo- 
ment, a reinforcement arrived, which augmented the 
detachment to 320 men, who being led to the charge, 
made a forcible appeal to the bayonet, entirely routed 
the British 49th regiment, of 600 men, and pursued them 
up the height, until the ground was regained, which the 
detachment had just before lost. Part of the 41st were 
acting with the 49th, both of which regiments distinguish- 
ed themselves, under the same* commander, in Europe ; 
and the latter had obtained the title of the Egyptian 
Invincibles, because they had not on any occasion be- 
fore, been known to give ground. General Brock, indig- 
nant almost to exasperation at the flight of this regi- 
ment, was attempting to rally it, when he received three 
balls at the same instant, which immediately terminated 
his brave career. His aid, captain M'Donald, fell at his 
side, mortally wounded. At about 2 o'clock in the after- 
noon, brigadier general Wadsworth, of the militia, lieu- 
tenant colonel Scott of the artillery, and major MuUany, 
crossed the river, and took the several commands which 
had been assigned to them.' — Captain Wool, in obedience 
to the order of colonel Christie, crossed over toLewistown, 
had his wounds dressed, and returned to the scene of ac- 
tion. General Van Rensselaer, had crossed over to Queens- 
town, and considering the victory complete after the 
repulse of the 49th, and the death of general Brock, he 
commenced preparations for encamping in tlie enemy's 
country. But, in expectation of further attacks by other 
reinforcements, he directed that the camp should be im- 
mediately fortified, and committed this service to lieu- 
tenant Totten, a skillful officer of the engineers. 

The enemy was reinforced at 3 o'clock, by several hun- 
dred Indians from Chippewa, who, under the direction of 
the British in the town, commenced a furious attack upon 
the American troops, whose whole number did not ex- 
ceed 920. As they approached through the woods and 
an orchard, the troops not knowing their number, at first 
faltered. Lieutenant colonel Christie, and lieutenant 
colonel Scott, behaved with great coolness, and making 

G 



74 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

every possible exertion, led the men promptly on, and 
in a short time, the Indians being routed, fled before the 
bayonet and rifle, leaving several dead, and one of their 
chiefs a prisoner. General Van Rensselaer observing that 
the troops were embarking very slowly, and fearing the 
necessity of a strong accession of numbers, crossed over 
to Lewistown during the assault of the Indians, to expe- 
dite the movements of the militia. 1200 and upwards of 
them, were standing on the American shore, inactive, and 
apparently, unconcerned spectators of the battle. At the 
very moment when victory was perching on the banners 
of their country, the ardour of the unengaged troops en- 
tirely subsided, and no effort could induce them to cross 
the line, and share in tlie glory of the day's triumph. 
Thrice already had the battle been won; three assaults 
of the enemy had been vigorously repulsed; and the con- 
quest of the town and heights must necessarily have fol- 
lov/ed. One third part of the disengaged men would have 
secured it; but they had witnessed at a distance the fu- 
rious attack of the Indians; they had seen the bodies of 
their wounded fellow soldiers brought back to the garri- 
son; and they refused to go further than the laws of their 
country authorized the general to command them. They 
claimed the privileges allowed them by the laws of the 
country, whose honour and renown they refused to assist 
in promoting; they beheld as gallant exploits as the world 
perhaps ever witnessed, but still they were not animated 
by the same spirit of enthusiasm, nor the same degree of 
valour. Peremptory orders were disobeyed, solicitations 
disregarded, and all argument exhausted to bring them to 
a sense of that duty, which the Generul vainly hoped, had 
urged them in the first instance, to press for an opportu- 
nity to act. Lieutenant colonel Bloom, who had been 
wounded in one of the three engagements, mounted a 
horse and rode among them vvith the General, but his ex- 
ample had no more effect than the General's persuasions. 
Meanwhile, anotlier reinforcement was seen coming up 
the river from fort Geoi-ge. The battery on the hill was 
considered as an important check to their ascending the 
heights, and measures were immediately taken to send 
over a fresh supply of arms and ammunition. The re- 
inforcements, however, obliqued from the road to the 



OF THE LATE WAR. 75 

right, and formed a junction with the Indians in the rear 
of the heights. The American troops being scattered in 
pursuit of the Indians, lost an opportunity of enfilading 
the reinforcing column as it approached the heights, and 
were taken a Tittle by surprise. Knowing that the troops 
at the heights must be nearly exhausted, and their ammu- 
nition as nearly expended ; overwhelmed with mortifica- 
tion and disappointment at the refusal of the militia to 
cross ; and seeing that another severe conflict, which the 
reduced detachment could not long sustain without great 
loss, would very soon take place, general Van Rensse- 
laer despatched a note to general Wads worth, acquaint- 
ing him with the conduct of the militia, " Leaving the 
course to be pursued much to his own judgment, with an 
assurance, that if he thought best to retreat, he (general 
Van Rensselaer) would send over as many boats as he 
could collect, and cover his retreat by every fire which 
he could possibly make with safety." The last British 
reinforcement amounted to 800 men, and when drawn up 
in a line with tlieir artillery, and flanked by their Indians, 
at about 4 o'clock an obstinate contest ensued, and was 
kept up for half an hour, with a tremendous discharge of 
flying artillery, musketry and cannon, until the American 
detachment, finding that they were not to be reinforced, 
their strength being nearly exhausted, and those of the 
militia who had already distinguished themselves, being 
unable to fight longer, received orders to retreat, upon 
the reception of general Van Rensselaer's note ; which 
they did in good order, down the hill to the point at 
which they had landed. In retiring, they received con- 
siderable aid from the American batteries, which kept up 
a brisk and well directed fire on the enemy, as he press- 
ed upon their rear, and frequently checked his advancing 
column, or dispersed his parties of light troops and In- 
dians, thrown out to cut off those whose wounds, or fa- 
tigue, might separate from the main body. Many of the 
boats had been destroyed, others had been taken, and there 
remained but 4 or 5 to take the whole of the detachment 
to Lewistown. These were crossing when the last affair 
took place, and the boatmen, becoming panic struck, had 
fled from their duty, and the boats were consequently 
dispersed, so that few of the Americans escaped from 



* 

76 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 



the Canada shore. In this distressing dilemma, thej were 
obliged to surrender themselves prisoners of war, to the 
number of 386 regulars, and 378 militia ; 62 of the regu- 
lars and 20 of the militia being wounded. The estimate 
of killed in the detachment was 90. When the last de- 
tachment arrived from fort George, the whole Ameri- 
can force was formed into line, in three divisions, and 
amounted to only 240 men, the militia refusing to act 
longer, and many of the regulars being then already 
wounded. The victorious enemy treated their prisoners, 
while on the frontier, with the most generous tenderness; 
but, for want of will or power, they put no restraint upon 
their Indian allies, v^^ho were stripping and scalping not 
only the slain, but the dying that remained on the field of 
battle. The lifeless body of ensign Morris, who was bro- 
ther to the amiable and distinguished naval officer of that 
name, was stripped to his shirt, and indignities, too sa- 
vage to be recorded, were committed on his person. The 
body of general Brock was committed to the grave, with 
the usual military honours, and the guns at fort Niagara 
were fired during the ceremony, as a tribute of respect 
for a gallant enemy. 

There was no officer crossed the line, upon this memo- 
rable day, who did not do honour to his country. Colonel 
Scott was in full dress, which, with his tall stature, ren- 
dered him a conspicuous mark for the enemy. It has 
been said, that several Indians told him of their having 
shot at him, but he received no wound. A company of 
volunteer riflemen, under lieutenant Smith, who took the 
Indian chief, behaved with the courage of veterans. Lieu- 
tenant colonel Fenwick was wounded three diffijrent 
times, and each time severely; captains Gibson, Wool 
and M'Chesney, and lieutenant Roach, of the artillery, 
who was wounded in the arm, are said to have particu- 
larly distinguished themselves. 

The British forces in the different battles, with the ex- 
ception of the first, was at no time less than 1100 ; in the 
last and fourth engagement, it was much greater. Their 
loss is not known. An arrangement was entered into, 
on the 14th, by which a few prisoners were paroled; the 
remainder were taken to Montreal. 

Whilst the troops were embarking at Lewistown in the 



OF THE LATE AVAR. 77 

morning, the batteries at fort George opened a cannonade 
upon fort Niagara, which was returned, and kept up with 
hot sliot on both sides, for several hours. From the south 
block-house of the American fort, the shot was principally 
directed against the village of Newark, and several houses 
were set on fire, one or two of which were entirely con- 
sumed. This battery was commanded by captain M'Keon, 
and the guns were worked with great ability. The enemy 
commenced throwing shells, and as there w ere no defences 
against these, captain N. Leonard, the commandant at fort 
Niagara, preferred ordering a retreat from the garrison, 
rather than expose a handful of men to their danger. The 
bursting of a 12 poundei', by which two men were killed, 
deprived the fort of its best battery. The retreat liad 
scarcely been ordered, when a number of boats, loaded 
with troops, were observed to put oft' from the enemy's 
shore; upon which, captain M*Keon returned to the fort 
with a guard of 20 men, remained in it during the night, 
and was joined next morning by the rest of the garrison. 
Very few were wounded, and none killed except the two 
men by the bursting of the gun. 

Early in the following week, the British batteries below 
fort Erie, opened a very heavy fij-e upon the village and 
fortifications of Black Rock, and kept it up at intervals 
during the day. There being no larger i^eces that 6's at 
the breastworks, very few shot were returned. Several 
cannon shot struck the battery, and two or three passed 
through the upper loft of the west barracks. The east 
barracks were destroyed by a bomb thrown from a 24 
pounder, which blew up the magazine, and burnt a quan- 
tity of the skins taken in the Caledonia. General Porter, 
of the New York militia, was sitting at dinner in his quar- 
ters, when one 24 pound ball struck the upper loft of his 
house, and another entered it through the roof. 

On the 22d October the enemy landed at St. Regis, a 
village, without a garrison of any kind, and from which he 
could move immediately upon the camp at French Mills. 
The tribe of Indians inhabiting the village, were friendly 
to the United States, and as it entered into the views of 
the enemy to persuade them from the service of the Ame- 
rican government, into which they might probably enter, 
and to flatter them into their own, sir George Prevost, 

G2 



78 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

under the authority with which he was clothed, had for- 
warded to this tribe, presents of blankets, guns, specie, 
&c. under an escort of soldiers, and accompanied by de- 
spatches, in which he solicited their alliance. The force 
was variously stated, from 1 to 300, and major G. P. 
Young, commanding the American militia from Troy, 
at the Mills, determined on immediately attacking them, 
as it was understood they were halting there, for an in- 
crease of numbers. He detached captain Tilden to the 
St. Lawrence, with a view of gaining a circuitous route 
to one of two houses in which the British were said to 
be quartered, and to secure the enemy's boats, which 
were stationed there, to prevent his retreat. Captain 
Lyon was detached with orders to take the road running 
along the bank of the river St. Regis, with directions to 
gain the rear of the other house; and major Young, with 
the remainder of the forces, moved on in front. When 
within 50 yards of either house, he heard a firing which 
convinced him that captain Lyon was engaged. One 
round was sufficient. The enemy surrendered ; but not 
to the number reported to have landed, and the Ameri- 
cans made 40 prisoners, and took one stand of colours, 
38 muskets, the despatches, and all the baggage. Two 
batteaux were taken by captain Tildeii, and the troops 
returned to theii' encampment at about 1 1 o'clock. The 
British lost 4 killed, and 1 mortally wounded. 

At one o'clock in the morning of the 17th of Novem- 
ber, four British barges approached the American shore, 
about a mile above Ogdensburg, and on being hailed by 
a sentinel and refusing to answer, were immediately fired 
upon. The report of his piece brought several riflemen 
to his assistance, wheii the barges opened a smart fire of 
grape shot, without effect, and soon after retired to Pres- 
cott harbour. On their way thither they fired several shot 
into the town, which were returned by a 6 pounder. 

This affair was followed on the night of tlie 19th, by an 
incursion seven miles into the British territory, by colo- 
nel Z.M.Pike, and a part of the 15th regiment. He 
assaulted, and carried a post, which was defended by a 
large body of British and Indians, burned a block house, 
put the garrison to flight, and returned with a loss of 
5 men wounded. 



OF THE LATE WAR. 79 

At six o'clock on the morning of the 21st, the British, 
having prepared mortars, and planted a long train of bat- 
tering cannon, behind breastworks erected on the oppo- 
site margin of the river, commenced a bombardment of 
fort Niagara, and opened a cannonade from the batteries 
at, and in the neighbourhood of, fort George, which was 
kept up, without a moment's cessation, until sundown. 
They employed five detached batteries in this affair. — 
Two of them mounting 24 pounders, and one mounting 
a 9 pounder. The remainder were mortar batteries, from 
five and an half, to ten and an half inches, from which 
Were thrown great quantities of shells. These fortresses, 
are situated nearly opposite each other at the mouth of 
the Niagara river, and command its entrance from lake 
Ontario. The guns of fort Niagara may be brought to 
bear alternately upon fort George and the town of New- 
ark, whilst a dependency of fort Niagara, called the salt 
battery, and mounting one 13 and a 4 pounder, was, at 
the time of the attack, directly in a range with, and cal- 
culated to do much damage to the enemy's garrison. 
The American fort had received an augmentation of 
force, immediately after the cannonade of the 13th, seve- 
ral corps, which had marched to Lewistown having been 
ordered, after the battle of Queenstown, to relieve the 
garrison; but it was not yet supplied with a suflicient 
quantity of artillery and ammunition. It was now com- 
manded by colonel George M'Feely. In the course of 
the day the enemy threw 2000 red hot balls, and 180 
shells. The shells proved to be harmless, but the hot 
shot set fire to several buildings, which were within and 
about the fort; but through the incessant vigilance of 
all the officers, and men, particularly of that gallant 
officer, major Armistead, of the United States corps of 
engineers, who has^n many other occasions distinguish- 
ed himself, the fires were got under and extinguished, 
without being discovered by the enemy. Notwithstand* 
ing the vast shower of shells and cannon ball, which was 
falling into the fort, the garrison performed their duty 
with unremitting alacrity, and served their pieces with 
coolness and composure. Captain M'Keon commanded 
a 12 pounder in the southeast block house; captain Jacks, 
of the 7th militia artillery, commanded in the north block 



80 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

house, a situation most exposed to the enemy's fire. — 
Lieutenant Rees, of the 3d artillery, had command of an 
18 pounder, on the southeast battery, from which several 
well directed shot were made, whilst the piece was point- 
ed at. the enemy's battery en barbette, mounting a 24 
pounder. Lieutenant Wendal, of the same regiment, 
had command of an 18 and 4 pounder on the west bat- 
tery; Dr. Hooper, of the militia artillery, had command 
of a 6 pounder on the mess house ; and lieutenants Gan- 
sevoort and Harris, of the first artillery, had command 
of the salt battery. Thus disposed, they returned the 
fire of the enemy, with vigour and effect. They directed 
several of the pieces at the town of Newark, and re- 
peatedly fired it with hot shot. The buildings within 
fort George were also fii-ed, and at t)ne time one of the 
batteries was silenced. A part of the parapet falling on 
lieutenant Rees, his left shoulder was so severely bruised, 
that it became necessary for him to quit his station, and 
captain Leonard, happening at that moment to arrive at 
the fort, took command of lieutenant Rees's battery for 
the remainder of the day. The continuation of the bom- 
bardment was far from lessening the animation of the 
men, and they fought with undnninished cheerfulness 
until the cannonading ceased. Colonel M'Feely spoke of 
all the garrison in very strong terms of praise, and of 
lieutenant colonel Gray, major Armistead and captain 
Mulligan particularly. During the bombardment a 12 
pounder burst, and killed two men. Two others were 
killed by the enemy's fire; and lieutenant Thomas and 
four men were wounded. From the salt battery the ene- 
my was very much annoyed. A few shot from the 4 
pounder there, sunk a schooner, which lay at the oppo- 
site wharf, and such was the spirited earnestness of both 
officers and men at this battery, that when in the most 
tremendous of the bombardment, th^ had fired away all 
their cartridges, they cut up their flannel waistcoats and 
shirts, and the soldiers their trousers, to supply their 
guns. An instance of extraordinary bravery took place 
m the garrison, in the hottest of the cannonade, and for 
deliberate coolness and courageous fortitude, was sur- 
passed, neither by Joan, maid of Orleans, nor the heroine 
of Saragosa. — ^Doyle, a private in the United States' artii- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 81 

leiy, who had been stationed in the fort, was made pri- 
soner in the battle of Queenstown. His wife remained 
in the garrison; and being there on the 21st, she deter- 
mined to resent the refusal of the British to parole her 
husband, by proffering her services, and doing his duty 
against the enemy, whenever the works should be assail- 
ed. She, accordingly, on this occasion served the 6 
pounder on the mess house, with hot shot, (regardless of 
the shells which were falling around her) and never quit- 
ted her station until the last gun had been discharged. 

General Van Rensselaer, having resigned his command 
on the Niagara, general Smyth now contemplated a more 
effectual invasion of Canada, than that which had so re- 
cently failed. From a description of the river below the 
falls; the view of the shore below fort Erie ; and from in- 
formation which he had received of the enemy's prepara- 
tions; general Smyth was of opinion, that the landing 
should be effected between fort Erie and Chippewa. This 
opinion he had delivered to general Van Rensselaer be- 
fore the battle of Queenstown, and, being in command, 
he was resolved that it should now be acted upon. The 
troops stationed at Black Rock and Buffaloe were equally 
desirous of engaging the enemy, and the general promised 
them conquest and renown. In order that he might visit 
the Canadian shore, with a force competent to retain the 
posts which might be captured, he desired to increase his 
numbers, by such an accession of volunteers, as would be 
willing to perform one month's service in the army; to 
submit to the rigid discipline of a camp; and to encounter 
the enemy on his own soil. He immediately communi- 
cated his intentions by a proclamation, issued on the 
10th November, circulated in the counties of Seneca, 
and Ontario, and inviting persons thus disposed to place 
themselves under his authority. This proclamation pro- 
duced the intended effect. It held forth great allurements, 
and appealed to the patriotism of the American citizens. 
Under this proclamation, numbers of volunteers came 
forward with the expected alacrity; and on the 27th of 
November, the force, collected at the station, amounted 
to 4,500 men, including the regular troops, and the Bal- 
timore, Pennsylvania, and New York volunteers, the lat- 
ter being placed under the command of general Peter B; 



82 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

Porter, of the militia. On the following morning, at re- 
veille, the whole force was to embark from the navy yard 
at Black Rock, and to proceed on the contemplated ex- 
pedition. No possible preparation was omitted. At the 
navy yard, there were laying for the purpose of transport- 
ing the troops across tlie river, 70 public boats, calculated 
to carry 40 men each ; 5 large private boats, which were 
taken into the public service, to carry 100 men each ; 
and ten scows, for the artillery, to ' carry twenty-five 
each; which, together with a number of small boats, also 
provided, were ito transport the whole of this army. After 
reminding the citizens, that for many years, they had 
seen their country oppressed w^ith numerous wrongs ; 
and that their government, thoilgh above all others devot- 
ed to peace, had been forced to draw the sword, and rely, 
for redress of injuries, on the valour of the American peo- 
ple, which valour had in every instance been conspicu- 
ous: general Smyth's proclamation continued, " That one 
" army had heen disgracefully surrendered and lost ; 
** and another had heen sacrificed, by a precipitate at- 
" tempt to j)ass over at the strongest point of the ene- 
" my's lines, with most incompetent means. That the 
" cause of these miscarriages w^as apparent; the com- 
" manders being popular men, * destitute alike of theory 
" and experience,' in the art of war. That in a few days, 
" the troops under his command, would plant the Ame- 
" rican standard in Canada; as they were men, accus- 
" tomed to obedience, silence, and steadiness. Must I 
" turn," continued he, " from you, and ask the men of 
" the Six Nations to support the government of the 
^* United States? Shall I imitate the officers of the British 
" king, and suffer our ungathered laurels to be tarnished 
" by ruthless deeds?"* 

Accompanying a second proclamation of general Smyth, 
of the 17th November, in which was recapitulated most 
of the appeal of the former, and in which he set forth, 

* It was about this time understood, that a number of friendly 
Indians proposed to be taken into g-eneral Smyth's army, but 
that, from principles of the most sacred humanity, and not know- 
ing- to what excesses they mig-ht be carried, iii the event of a suc- 
cessful invasion, he explicitly refused to let them accompany him 
into Canada. 



OF THE LATE WAR. 83 

that "disloyal and traitorous men had endeavoured to 
" persuade the people from doing their duty," was an ad- 
dress from general Porter to the people of Ontario and 
Gennesee ; in which he informed them, that general Smyth 
had a powerful army at Buftaloe, under strict discipline, 
in high spirits and eager for the contest. That with this 
army, he would in a few days occupy all the British forts 
on the Niagara. That as humanity suggested this con- 
quest should be achieved with the least possible sacrifice, 
general Smyth had asked their aid and co-operation, for 
the purpose of obtaining a force that would overawe op- 
position, and save the effusion of blood. That he intend- 
ed himself to accompany the expedition; that a vigorous 
campaign of one month would relieve their fellow citi- 
zens, of the frontier, from their sufferings; drive off the 
savage knife ; restore peace to the whole of that section 
of the country; and redeem the tarnished reputation of 
the nation. 

A large number of troops were thus assembled at and 
near Buffaloe, where they were organized, equipped, and 
"drilled for the intended invasion. Before they should 
embark, however, for that purpose, general Smyth deem- 
ed it prudent to dislodge the enemy from the position he 
occupied upon the opposite sliore, and to destroy his bat- 
teries, and light artillery, as well as the bridges on his 
left, by wliich his retreat would be cut off from Queens- 
town or St Davids. The general, therefore, directed 
lieutenant Angus, of the navy, with the officers and seamen 
under his command, amounting in all to 70, and captain 
King of the 15th regiment, with about the same number 
of infantry regulars, to proceed on the night of the 27th 
to the accomplishment of this object. The expedition was 
conducted with all the necessary precaution, and the boats 
liad nearly reached the Canadian shore, before they were 
discovered by the enemy's sentinels. A vivid fire of ar- 
tillery and musketry was instantly opened upon them, but 
the detachment nevertheless effected a landing, and being 
formed upon the shore by their respective commanders, 
tlie sailors and soldiers promptly advanced to the assault of 
the batteries. These were successfully stormed, and the Bri- 
tish driven to their barracks at the Red House, where they 
rallied with 250 men, and commenced a rapid fire of mus- 
ketry. The guns at the batteries being spiked, lieutenant 



84 MISTORICAIi SKETCHES 

Angus and captain King, assisted by Samuel Swartwout, 
esq. an enterprising citizen of New York, who, being at 
the station, volunteered his services, followed up their 
success, by a desperate assault upon the Red House. The 
sailors charged with boarding pikes and cutlasses, the re- 
gulars with the bayonet, and after a hard and destructive 
engagement, they routed the enemy, fired the barracks, 
and took about 50 prisoners. Captain King then marched 
with 12 men, to possess himself of another battery at a 
little distance from those which had been already taken, 
and at which he intended to remain until the army should 
cross over. Lieutenant Angus returned with the remain- 
der of the detachment, and the wounded and prisoners, 
and put himself in readiness to navigate the boats, in 
which the main body of general Smyth's troops were to 
embark. 

The loss of officers and men, to whose courage, abi- 
lity and discipline, both lieutenant Angus and captain 
King attributed the success of the enterprise, was great. 
Sailingmaster Watts, the same who had distinguished 
himself in cutting out the Caledonia, fell at the head of 
his division of the sailors as he was gallantly leading 
them on. Among the wounded navy ofhcers, were lieu- 
tenant Wragg, badly; sailingmaster J. H. Carter, badly — 
lost the entire use of his right arm; sailingmaster Session, 
desperately, and died a few days after; midshipman 
Dudley, slightly; Brailsford, Mirvin, and Holdup, se- 
verely; and Graham dangerously — amputation of a leg. 
Boatswain Campbell was wounded badly, and lost the use 
of an arm. * Of the regulars, captain I)ox and lieutenant 
Lisson were wounded badly. 

Every battery between Chippewa and fort Erie, being 
carried, and the cannon spiked, or destroyed, sixteen 
miles of the Canadian frontier were laid waste and de- 
serted, and at daybreak of the 28th, the batteries on the 
American side were in readiness to cover the embarkation 
of the army, and most of the troops had arrived at the 
designated place. Three hundred and forty volunteers, 
who had rallied under general Smyth's proclamation, well 
armed and provided, were marched by general Porter to 
the navy yard. One hundred and fifty others were draw- 
ing arms at Buftaloe, and had orders to follow immedi* 
ately. At sunrise, the troops generally began to embark. 



OF THE LATE WAR. 85 

the artillery having been ready from daylight, but such 
was the tardiness, of a portion of them, that at 12 o'clock 
the whole body, with colonel Swift's volunteer regiment, 
were not yet in the boats. A considerable number of 
barges had been thrown upon the shores of the river, and 
Conejockeda creek, by the high tide of the preceding day; 
others were filled with ice and water, and several laying 
about one mile below. To collect and put these in order 
for the reception of the troops, required a delay of several 
hours more, and it was not until two o'clock, that all the 
troops intended to be sent over at the first crossing, were 
collected in a group of boats at Black Rock, under cover 
of the batteries, where general Porter, having brought 
up the five boats which were below, joined, and took 
his station among them. The number now embarked, 
according to the estimate of general Porter, amounted to 
2000, who were anxiously awaiting the order to proceed. 
General Tannehill's volunteers, colonel F. M'Clure's re- 
giment, and some riflemen and cavalry, in all about 2000 
more, were still paraded on the shore, and were to con- 
stitute the second embarkation. In the mean time, cap- 
tain King and his 12 men, who were yet in the enemy's 
territory, dismounting his pieces, were made prisoners, 
and about 500 British troops had been drawn up in line, 
about half a mile from the river, sounding their trumpets 
and bugles, and indicating their readiness to receive the 
Americans. liate in the afternoon, general Smyth order- 
ed the troops to disembark, and silenced their murmurs, 
by an assurance, that the expedition was only postponed 
until the boats should be put in a state of better prepara- 
tion, and that they (the troops) should immediately after 
be put in motion. The different regiments retired to theii' 
respective quarters; general Porter marched his volun- 
teers to Buffaloe, but the enemy was actively employed 
in remounting his guns upon the batteries. 

On Sunday, the 29th, an order was issued, from the 
head quarters of tlie commanding general, for the march 
of the troops to the navy yard, to embark on the following 
morning, at 9 o'clock. The time and manner proposed 
in this order, were disapproved of by all the officers ; and 
those of the highest rank addressed the general, and stated 
their objections to the plan. The repaired state of the 
enemy's batteries rendered it inexpedient to cross at the 



86 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

point above the, island, which covers the navy yard; below 
that point he lay much augmented, in consequence of the 
j^allant affair of the 28th, and occupied a line of shore, of 
nearly a mile, from which he would have a full view of 
the American movement if made by daylight. To avoid 
the fire of the British flying artillery and infantry, it was 
proposed to general Smyth, that the troops should be 
landed 5 miles below the navy yard, at an hour and a 
half before day, on the morning of Tuesday, so that this 
dangerous shore might be passetl in the dark; when if 
the boats were discovered, the troops would suffer less 
from the enemy's fire. The place which was thus re- 
commended, was of all others, peculiarly favourable to 
a safe and orderly landing, and the proposal was accord- 
ingly adopted, and the army to embark at 3 o'clock, and 
to land at half past 4, in the order of battle prescribed on 
the. 28th. 

On Monday evening (30th,) 7 boats for colonel Swift*s 
regiment, and 8 for the new volunteers, were brought up 
the river and placed at different points, so that the noise 
and confusion of embarking the whole at one place, might 
be avoided. At half an liour after 3, these boats were oc- 
cupied, and took their station Oj^posite the navy yard. 
The regulars were to proceed on the right, general Tan- 
nehill's volunteers in the centre, and the New York vo- 
lunteers on the left. General Porter, with a chosen set 
of men, was appointed to proceed in front, to direct the 
landing, and to join the New York volunteers when on 
the opposite shore. On the arrival of the boats which 
were to compose the van, general Porter found that the 
artillery, composed of a detachment of the light artillery, 
under captain Gibson, and captains Towson and Barker's 
companies of the 2d regiment of heavy artillery, were em- 
barking in the scows with as much haste as possible: but 
one hour elapsed before the regular infantry attempted to 
follow, when col. Winder, at the head of the 14th, entered 
the boats with great order and silence. Every thing seem- 
ed to promise a speedy and successful issue ; the troops 
intended to be embarked were now nearly all in readiness 
to proceed ; general Porter dropped to the front of the 
line with a flag, to designate the leading boat ; and the 
word only was wanted to put oft*. General Smyth now 
suddenly called a council of war, composed of colonel 
Moses Porter, colonel Winder, colonel Coales, colonel 



OF THE LATE WAR. 87 

Campbell, and colonel Sclmyler, who, upon representa- 
tions made by tlie General, decided that the expedition 
should not be at that time undertaken. The front of the 
line was one-fourth of a mile from the shore, when the 
rear was observed to be retarded, and general Porter re- 
ceived orders from general Smyth to disembark immedi- 
ately. He was at the same time informed that the inva- 
sion of Canada was abandoned for the season ; that the 
regulars were ordered into winter quarters ; and that as 
the services of the volunteers could now be dispensed 
with, they might stack their arms and return to their 
homes. Previously to this order, an interview had taken 
p\ace between general Smyth and a British major, who 
came ovor with a flag.* The scene of discontent which 
followed, was without parallel. 4000 men without order 
or restraint, indignantly discharged their muskets in 
every direction. The person of the commanding general 
was threatened. Upwards of 1000 men, of all classes of 
society, had suddenly left their homes and families, and 
had made great sacrifices to obey the call of their counti-y, 
under general Smyth's invitation. He possessed their . 
strongest confidence, and was gaining their warmest af- 
fections: he could lead to no post of danger, to which 
they would not follow. But now, the hopes of his govern- 
ment; the expectations of the people; the desires of the 
army; were all prostrated, and he was obliged to hear 
the bitter reproaches, and the indignant epithets of the 
men, whom he had promised to lead to honour, to glory, 
to renown. The inhabitants refused to give him quarters 
in their houses, or to protect him from the rage of those 
who considered themselves the victims of his imbecility, 
or his deceit. He was obliged constantly to shift his 
tent to avoid the general clamour, and to double the guard 
surrounding it ; and he was several times fired at, when 
he ventured without it. An application was made to him 
by the volunteers, to permit them to invade the enemy's 
territory, under general Porter, and they pledged them- 
selves to him, to take fort Erie, if he would give them 
four pieces of flying artillery. This solicitation was 

* It is stated in a letter written by g-eneral Smyth to the author, 
that the object of this interview, was to negotiate for the ex- 
change of a British siargeon's mate then a prisoner at Black Rock , 



88 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

evaded, and the volunteer troops proceeded to their 
homes, execrating the man whom they had before respect- 
ed, and the general on whose talents, and whose promises, 
they had placed the most generous reliance. 

General Smyth, however, found those who gave their 
approbation to his measures, and who thought that he 
had saved his army, by relinquishing the invasion of Ca- 
nada. The public mind was for a long time agitated with 
doubts about the propriety of his conduct, in not prose- 
cuting the campaign, and breaking up the enemy's strong 
posts along the Niagara. Few, however, have hesitated 
to declare nis culpability, in inducing men to leave their 
homes for a month's incursion into the British territory, 
unless he intended to effect it at every hazard, whlcfi they 
might be willing to encounter. But he has alleged, that 
his orders from the commander in chief were to cross with 
" three thousand men at once;" that he could not ascer- 
tain the number of troops which would go over until he 
saw them actually embarked ; that when they were em- 
barked, they did not amount to more than 1512 men, ex- 
clusive of the staff", being but half the number with which 
only, his instructions authorised him to assail the oppo- 
site shore ; and that many of the militia not only refused 
to go, when ordered into the boats by his brigade major, 
but that more than half of general Tannehill's brigade 
had deserted. In his official letter to general Dearborn, 
he stated, that he had called together a council of his 
officers, agreeably to his instructions, in all important 
cases, and they decided against the contemplated opera- 
tions, upon the ground of the insufficiency of force. That 
he then informed the officers, the attempt to invade Ca- 
nada would not be made until the army should be rein- 
forced, and directed them to withdraw their troops, and 
cover them with huts immediately. — That the volunteers 
and the neighbouring people were dissatisfied ; and it had 
been in the power of the contracting agent (alluding to 
general Porter,) to excite some clamour against the course 
pursued, as he found the contract a losing one, and would 
wish to see the army in Canada, that he might not be 
bound to supply it — That the situation of the force under 
his (general Smyth's) command, had not been such as to 
make the propriety of a forward movement obvious to all: 
that circumstanced as he was, he thought it his duty " to 



OF THE LATE WAR. 89 

" follow the cautious counsels of experience, and not by 
*' precipitation, to add to the list of our defeats." 

Whether general Porter's anxiety to see the army in 
Canada, arose from so interested a motive as general 
Smyth has alleged, or whether he was actuated by a de- 
sire to see the campaign of 1812 closed with some bril- 
liant achievement of the American arms, the reader will 
be better able to judge, by remembering the indefatigable 
exertions which that general made, to enlarge the forces 
at Buftaloe, and of the personal share which he was dis- 
posed to take in the most dangerous part of the enter- 
prise. 

On the 2d of December, the enemy again opened his 
batteries upon Black Rock, probably with a view to in- 
form the American army that his guns were unspiked and 
replaced, and that he was again in a state to resist the 
invasion. His fire was returned from the battery at the 
Rock, now called fort Gibson, one of the guns of which, 
under captain J. N. Barker, was so well directed, that the 
ball entered an embrasure, at the British battery, dis- 
mounted SL heavy gun, and disabled the carriage, In a few 
hours the enemy's fire was completely silenced. 

The troops were now all quartered ; barracks erected 
at Williamsville, for the reception of the largest propor- 
tion; and no operations took place until the close of the 
year. The armies were distinguished by titles, derived 
from their situations. That which was commanded by 
general Smyth, being the army of the centre, and that 
upon the St. Lawrence and its vicinity, being the north- 
ern ARMY. This latter, which consisted of an active force 
of 5737 men, of infantry, cavalry, field and horse artillery 
and militia, had also gone into winter quarters; and the; 
hopes of the nation rested now only on the northwestern 
ARMY, which we left in the neighbourhood of the Rapids 
of the Miami ; the head quarters of its commander at San- 
dusky, making vigorous preparations for a push upon the 
British and Indians at Detroit, and resolved upon quar* 
tering for the wijiter in one of 4iie enemy's garrisons. 

H2 



DO HISTORICAL SKETCHES 



CHAPTER yil. 



Hie JS\ivy — Third naval victory, the United States over 
the British frigate, the Macedonian — Progress of the 
naval establisJiment on lake Ontario — Chaimcey's squa- 
dron pursues the Royal George into Kingston harbour, 
and bombards that town — The Groivler captures an 
enemy's sloop — Fight betiveen the British sloop of war, 
Charybdis, and the privateer Blockade. — The Orders- 
i7i-Council exchanges broadsides with the British sloop 
of war. Opossum — The Tom captures the Townsend — 
The Bona vanquishes a 22 gun ship — The Dolphin en- 
f^ages and carries two armed vessels — Fourth naxml 
victory, the Constitution over the British frigate, the 
Java. 

The American arms on the ocean all this time conti- 
nued to be triumphant. One naval victory succeeded 
another, until the people of the United States were asto- 
nished at the ceaseless prowess of their tars ; and the 
nations of Europe stood in admiration, and began to look 
upon the rising naval establishment of America, as a 
future rival to the formidable enemy, against whom it 
was already successfully contending;. 

The United States' frigate the United States, T^aptain 
Stephen Decatur, of 44 guns, carrying 54,having separated 
from the squadron under commodore Rodgers, with which 
she left Boston on the 18th October (1812,) cruised in the 
track of the British frigates until the 25th, when in lati- 
tude 29 deg. N. long. 29 deg. 30 min. W. she fell in with 
the British frigate Macedonian, captain John Garden, of 
18 guns, but carrying 49, the odd one being a shifting gun. 
The Macedonian was to 4v^indward, and entered the en- 
gagement at her own distance. For half an hour after the 
commencement of the action, the United States had no 
opportunity of using her carroliades, the enemy keeping 
out of their reach, and never once coming within the range 
of grape or musketry. The action therefore, was of greater 



OF THE LATE WAR. 91 

leiifftli than usual, and continued under every advantage 
to the enemy, until the United States neared him. The 
fire from her then became so vivid, that the enemy's 
crew imagining her to be on fire, gave many demonstra- 
tions of their joy, and expected every instant to see her 
blown up. But the Macedonian's mizen mast was shot 
away by the board, her fore and topmasts by the caps, 
her lower masts badly wounded, her main mast destroy- 
ed, ajid all her rigging cut up. Most of her guns were 
disabled, the largest part of her crew killed and wound- 
ed, and having become a perfect wreck, she surrendered 
after an action of an hour and an half, at the moment 
when the United States was about to rake her. 

The enthusiasm of the American crew, on discovering 
the enemy, and during the battle, was perhaps unprece- 
dented, and the precision of their tire never surpassed in 
any other naval engagement. Captain Garden being 
brought on board, presented his sword to captain Deca- 
tur, who, in testimony of the gallantry of his enemy, de- 
clined accepting it, saying, that " he could not receive the 
sword of a man, who had defended his ship so bravely." 
The enemy's loss amounted to 104, 36 in killed, and 68 
wounded: among the latter, her first and third lieute- 
nants. The loss of the United States wai 5 killed, and 
7 wounded, making a total of 12. xVmong the latter was 
lieutenant John Musser Funk, of Lancaster, Peimsylva- 
nia, who afterwards died of his wounds, regretted for his 
Worth, and admired for his constant coolness and courage. 
The United States received no damage whatever, and re- 
turned to port only to see her prize safe in. The supe- 
riority of gunnery was decidedly, in this action, on the 
side of the American seamen, who fired 70 broadsides, 
whilst the enemy discharged but 36. 

The Macedonian was an entire new ship, and had been 
out of dock but four months. She was brought into the 
port of New London, and thence, through the Sound, to 
New York, where she was fitted out as a 38 gun frigate, 
and as such bouglit into the service of the United States, 
at the value of 200,000 dollars. 

Captain Decatur every where received the congratula- 
tions of the citizens. The legislatures of Pennsylvania 
and Virginia voted him an elegant sword : the congress 
of the United States, a gold medal. The corporation of 



92 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

New York voted him the freedom of the city, in a gold 
box, and had his portrait set up in their gallery ; and the 
select and common councils of Philadelphia, (in which 
city he was born) voted him a superb sword ; and ap- 
pointed a committee, of which captain John Mullowney, 
formerly of the United States navy, M-^as one; who, in 
conjunction with major general John Barker, then mayor 
of the city, were to procure it to be made of American 
materials. This sword was presented to captain Deca- 
tur by the mayor, accompanied by a concise and appro- 
priate address, to which he made a pertinent and manly 
reply. Lieutenant Allen, first of the ship, and lieutenant 
Nicholson, received the same honours from the legislature 
of Virginia. 

On lake Ontario the naval operations were becoming 
every day of more consequence. Arrangements had been 
made for the augmentation of the fleet, and a large siiip 
was already on the stocks, nearly completed, and to be 
called the Madison. About the 6th of November (1812), 
commodore Chauncey, who commanded the fleet on this 
station, had some suspicion that three of the enemy's 
squadron had proceeded from Kingston, up the lake, v/ith 
troops to reinforce fort George. The vessels supposed to 
have sailed in this direction, were the Royal George of 
26, the JDuke of Gloucebter of 10, and the Prince Regent 
of 14 guns. Commodore Chauncey immediately sailed 
with the brig Oneida, of 14 guns; the Governor Tomp- 
kins, lieutenant Brown, of 6 guns ; the Growler, lieute- 
nant Mix, of 5 guns ; the Conquest, lieutenant Elliot, 
of 2 guns; the General Hamilton, lieutenant M'Pherson, 
of 6 guns ; the Pert, Arundle, of 2 guns, and the Julia, 
Trant, of 1 long 32 pounder, making in all 36 guns. As 
the enemy's vessels were expected to return to Kingston 
for more troops, it was intended to intercept them at the 
False Ducks, a collection of islands which they would be 
obliged to pass. 

On the 8th, the squadron fell in with the Royal George, 
and chased her into the bay of Quinti, where she was lost 
sight of in tlie night. On the morning of the 9th, she 
was discovered in Kingston Channel. Sigfial was im- 
mediately made for a general chase ; but by the alternate 
prevalence of squalls and calms, the squadron was led in 
close pursuit into the harbour of the enemy at Kingston, 



OF THE LATE WAR. * 93 

The commodore being determined on boarding her, though 
she was anchored under the enemy's batteries, with springs 
on her cables, that s)>c' might get all her guns to bear, 
gave his signal to ^-'^at effect. At three o'clock, the bat- 
teries opened ^-'•eii' fire on the fleet, and sent forth a tre- 
mendous sL-^wer of shot and grape. Lieutenant Elliot, 
of the conquest, pushed forward, and went in, in the 
handf^mest style. He was followed by the Julia, the 
Pf.'-r, and the Groivler\ in succession; then came up the 
hig, with the commodore, then the General HamiltoTiy 
and the Governor Tompkins. At 12 minutes after 3, 
lieutenant Elliot opened his fire: at 15 minutes after 3, 
the Pert, Julia, and Growler opened theirs. At 20 mi- 
nut^s after 3, the wliole of the batteries fired on the brig, 
and she sustained most of the fire during the remainder 
of the action. A little while after, the commodore gave 
the signal, "engage closer;" which was instantly obeyed. 
The TerVs gun, about this time, burst, and wounded her 
commander, who, refusing to leave the deck, was knock- 
ed overboard by the boom, and drowned. At 40 minutes 
past 3, the brig opened her fire on the Royal George, and 
the Royal George on the Hamilton. The firing became 
now very hot, and was kept up with the greatest alacrity 
until 4 o'clock, when the Royal George cut her cables and 
ran further up the bay. 

The squadron became exposed to the cross fire of 5 
batteries of flying artillery, in all about 40 guns, aod the. 
guns of the ship, the Royal George; which, having taken 
a more advantageous position, set new s'prings, and re- 
commenced her fire. Round and grape were now fall- 
ing about the squadron in heavy showers. At half an 
hour after 4, the whole hauled by the wind, and beat out 
of the bay; two miles from which, they anchored, in full 
sight, until the 10th; and after remaining there nearly all 
that day, they returned to Sacket's Harbour, with the 
loss of 1 man killed and 3 wounded on board the Oneida. 
Whilst at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, the commo- 
dore captured a schooner, and as she could not beat out 
with the squadron, he ordered the Growler to take her 
under convoy, to run down past Kingston, and anchor on 
the east end of Long Island, under an expectation that 
the Royal George would be induced to come out to re- 
capture her; but her commander, fearing that the squad- 



94 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

ron might be close at hand, would not leave his moorings* 
The Royal George suffered very severely in her hull, as 
a number of 32 pound shot pierced her through. The 
Growler, having in vain tried to indu^ the enemy to 
come out, sailed with the prize sclioonei for Sacket's 
Harbour. On her way, she discovered the Vrince Re- 
gent, and the Earl Moira of 18 guns, convoying ^ sloop 
to Kingston. She immediately ran in, and placed her- 
self behind a point, with her prize, until the armed vtsi^ 
sels had passed her, when she ran out again, pressea 
down upon the sloop, captured and brought her into 
Sacket's Harbour, having on board about 12,000 dollars 
in specie, and captain Brock, cousin and private secreta- 
ry to general Brock, together with that general's private 
property and baggage. The commodore immediately 
put off in a snow storm, with a hope of cutting off the 
Earl Moira at the False Ducks. Captain Brock express- 
ed great surprise, on learning that the Americans had 
been in the British harbour, and that they had got out 
again with so little loss, the place being strongly de- 
fended. Commodore Chauncey, not having succeeded 
in intercepting the Earl Moira, returned again to the 
Harbour, and made preparations for completing the new 
ship Madison, which being finished on the 26th of No- 
vember, was launched into her destined element without 
accident. 

About this time, the American privateers were float- 
ing in every direction on the ocean. They cruised be- 
fore the entrances of most of the British colonial ports, 
and, relying on the swiftness of their sailing, many of 
them liad ventured into the chops of the British Channel. 
The alarm, which was in consequence excited among the 
merchants of Great Britain, and the vast number of cap- 
tures which were making by these vessels, induced the 
English government to fit out several sloops of war, for 
the protection of their coast. The brig Charybdis, of 
eighteen 32 pounders, and the Opossmn sloop of war, were 
ordered to cruise for several privateers, which were then 
known to be in the neighbourhood of the coast, and which 
it was confidently expected would be brought in by one 
or the other of these armed vessels. The Charybdis 
fell in with the privateer Blockade of New York, of 8 
guns^ and after an obstinate engagement of one hour (vn<i 



OF THE LATE WAR. 95 

SO minutes, in which the Charybdis lost 28 of her offi- 
cers and men, killed and wounded, and the Blockade 
8 men only, the latter was carried, and taken into port 
The Opossum encountered the " Order s-in-Councilf^' a 
small privateer, who fought her until they had exchanged 
7 broadsides, when finding tlie enemy's force to be too 
powerful, she abandoned the contest, and effected her 
escape. 

The privateer Tom, captain Wilson, of Baltimore, on 
the 23d of November, descried a sail, gave chase, over- 
hauled, and brought her to an action, which terminated 
in the surrender of the enemy, witli the loss of her cap- 
tain and 4 men killed, and several wounded. She proved 
to be the British packet Townsend, M'Coy, from. Fal- . 
mouth for Barbadoes. Her mail had been thrown over- 
board, but was picked up by. the Tom''s boats; and after 
being ransomed, she was suffered to proceed. 

The Bona privateer, of Baltimore, hiiving discovered 
a British ship of 800 tons, and 22 guns, then on a voyage 
from Madeira, ran up and engaged her, when the great 
gun burst, and captain Dameron put 29 officers and laen 
into his boats, and despatched them to board her. After 
, a severe fight upon her decks, tliey carried her with little 
loss. Two strange sail at this moment coming up in 
chase, the Bona left the prize in possession of those on 
board, and bore away, to draw the chasing vessels after 
her. 

The privateer Dolphin, captain W. S. Stafford, of 10 
guns and CD men, also of Baltimore, bemg off Cape St, 
Vin ent, engaged a ship of 16 guns and 40 men, and a 
brig of 10 guns and 25 men, at the same instant; and 
after a long and gallant action, made prizes of both. The 
JDoiphiii had 4 men wounded: the enemy 19 killed and 
40 wounded, among them the captain of one of the ves- 
sels. Instances of the bold and daring intrepidity of the 
crews of the private armed vessels of the United States, 
are so numerous, that the recital of them would swell 
this work very far beyond tlie limits which have been 
assigned to it. The enemy's commerce was every where 
assailed by them, and the British government were obliged 
to protect their merchant shi}«s by large convoys of ves- 
sels of war. 

A plan had been matured at the navy department for 
a cruise in the South Seas, and the frigate Constitution, 



96 HISTORICAIi SKETCHES 

now commanded by commodore William Bainbridge, the 
Essex, captain Porter, and the Hornet^ captain Lawrence, 
were selected to prosecute the voyage in company. On 
the 27th of October (1812), the Essex sailed from the De- 
laware, and on the 30th tlie Constitution and Hornet from 
Boston ; several places of rendezvous having been assign- 
ed, at either of which this force was to be united, to pro- 
ceed upon the cruise. On the 29th of December, the union 
of these vessels had not yet been effected ; and on that 
day the Cotistitution descried a sail at meridian, in lat. 
13 deg. 6 min. S. long. 38 W. ten leagues from St. Salva- 
dor, which she soon discovered to be a British frigate. 
Commodore Bainbridge tacked sail and stood for her. At 
50 minutes past 1 P. M. the enemy bore down with an in- 
tention of raking the Constitution, which she avoided by 
wearing. Much manceuvring took place on both sides, 
the object of the enemy being to rake, and of the Consti- 
tution to avoid being raked, and to draw the enemy from 
the neutral coast. At 2 P. M. the enemy was within half 
a mile of the Constitution, and to windward, having hauled 
down his colours, except the union jack, which was at the 
mizen mast head. A gim was then fired ahead of him, 
to make him show his colours; but this gun was answered 
by a whole broadside. The enemy's colours were then 
hoisted, and the action began with round and grape; but 
he kept at so great a distance, that the grape had little 
effect, and to bring him nearer, would expose the Consti- 
tution to severe raking. At 30 minutes past two, both 
ships were, within good canister distance, when the Con- 
stitution's wheel was shot away. At 40 minutes past 
two, the fore and main sail were set, and commodore 
Bainbridge, being now determined to close with him, 
luffed up for that purpose, and in ten minutes after, the 
enemy's jib-boom got foul ,.)f the Constitution's mizen 
rigging, and in another ten minutes his bowsprit and jib- 
boom were shot away. At 5 minutes past 3, his main 
topmast was shot away just above the cap. This v/as 
followed by the loss of his gaff and spanker boom, and 
soon after, his mainmast went nearly by the board. At 
5 minutes past 4, the eneiny was completely silenced, 
and his colours at the main being down, it was thought he 
had surrendered. T'^e Constitfution therefore shot ahead 
to repair damages, which being done, and the enemy's 



OF THE LATE WAR. 97 

flag being discovered to be still flying, she wore, stood 
for the enemy in handsome style, and got close athwart 
his bows in an elfectual position for raking, when his 
mainmast having also gone by the board, and seeing that 
further resistance would be useless, whilst he lay so un- 
manageable a wreck, he struck his colours, and was im- 
mediately taken possession of by lieutenant Parker, and 
fountl to be his majesty's ship Java, of 38 guns, but 
mounting 49, commanded by a distinguished officer, cap- 
tain liambert, who was ir^ or tally wounded, and having on 
board at the commencement of the engagement, upwards 
of 400 men, and 100 supernumerary seamen, which she 
was carrying out to the East Indies, for different ships 
there. The Constitution had 9 men killed, and 25 wound- 
ed. The Java, 60 killed and 170 wounded. She had on 
board despatches for St. Helena, Cape of Good Hope, and 
the different establishments in the East Indies and China, 
and copper for a 74, building at Bombay. She had also 
on board, a number of passengers, among whom were 
lieutenant general Hislop, governor of Bombay, major 
Walker, and one staff" major, captain Marshal, and a mas- 
ter and commander in the royal navy, and several offi- 
cers appointed to ships in the East Indies. 

Tlie conduct of the oificers and crew of the Constitu- 
tion in this engagement, was not less conspicuous for gal- 
lantry, than in that with the Guerriere, and the same prin- 
ciples of humanity influenced their deportment to the pri- 
soners. Among the wounded were the commodore and 
lieutenant Aylwin, the latter of whom was shot im- 
mediately under the collar bone, (within an inch of his 
former wound,) and died at sea on the 28th Janua- 
ry (181 S). Upon the call for boarders, he had mounted 
the quarter deck hammock cloth, and was in the act of 
firing his pistols at the enemy, when the ball passed through 
his slioulder blade, and threw him upon the deck. Mid- 
shipman Delany, who had been at Iiis side in both the ac- 
tions of the Constitution, bore him to the side of the mast, 
and ordered two men from his own division to carry him 
below; but such was his zeal for the success of the ship, 
that he would not suffer a single man to be taken from his 
station, nor would he consent to leave the deck, until he 
saw the issue of the battle. Among the officers who dis- 
tinguished themselves, were lieutenant Parker, the first 



98 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

officer of the ship, and midshipmen James Delany, of Penn- 
sylvania, and John Packet, of Jefferson county, Virginia ; 
the latter of whom was entrusted with the despatches from 
commodore Bainbridge to the navy department, and has 
since been promoted to a lieutenancy. Many of the sea- 
men exhibited a most uncommon degree of heroism : one 
of them, John Cheves, after being mortally wounded, re« 
mained on deck, apparently dying, until the termination 
of the engagement, v/hen, the word being passed that the 
enemy had struck, he raised himself up with one hand, 
o-ave three cheers, and fell back and expired. His brother ^ 
was also severely wounded. 

On the first of January, 1813, (nautical time) commo- 
dore Bainbridge, upon being informed by lieutenant Par- 
ker, that the prize was in such a condition that many re- 
pairs would be required to render her at all manageable; 
and knowing the immense distance at which he then was 
from any port in the United States ; and how much he 
would be obliged to weaken his crew, to man the prize 
properly; determined on blowing her up, which he accord- 
ingly did at 3 P. M. with every valuable article on board 
of her, except the baggage of the prisoners. To these he 
administered every comfort which his means could afford ; 
and at St. Salvador, where he landed the remaining crew 
of the Java, he received the public acknowledgments of 
lieutenant general Hislop to that effect, accompanied by 
the presentation of an elegant sword. Captain Lambert 
had received a mortal wound in the early part of the en- 
o^gement, and was in so languishing a situation, that he 
could not be removed from the Java, until her destruction 
was resolved on; after which the commodore directed his 
course to St. Salvador, to land and parole him. On arriv- 
ing in that port, he landed the private passengers without 
considering them prisoners of war, and released the pub- 
lic passengers, and the officers and crew, amounting to 
351 men, on their parole, on condition of their returning 
to England and remaining tliere, without serving in any 
of their professional capacities, until they should be regu- 
larly exchanged. 

At St. Salvador, the Constitution met the sloop of war 
the Hornet, with whom she had parted a few days before 
the engagement, and leaving that vessel to blockade the 
British sloop of war the Bonne Citoyenne, commodore 



OF THE LATE WAR. 99 

Bainbrid^e broke up the intended cruise in the South 
Seas, ana returned to the United States. Here he was 
greeted with tlie applauses of his countrymen, and re- 
ceived the freedom of the city of New York in a gold 
box, a piece of plate from the citizens of Philadelphia, the 
thanks of many of the state legislatures, and a medal from 
congress, with 50,000 dollars for himself, officers and 
crew. The legislature of Virginia voted a handsome sword 
to lieutenant Morgan and midshipman Packet of their 
state, and their approbation to the officers generally. 

The comparative force of the two vessels, as well as 
the number of men in each, has been a subject of preva- 
rication, and given rise to much public discussion. Cap- 
tain Lambert having expired at St. Salvador, it became 
the duty of lieutenant Chads, first officer of the Java, to 
make an official communication of the atFair to his go- 
vernment. That officer, unmindful of the generous mag- 
nanimity with which he had been treated, endeavoured to 
take away from the credit of the American commodore, 
by underrating the number of the British crew, and the 
actual force of the British ship ; and by very largely over- 
rating the force and crew of the Constitution. Assurances 
were given to commodore Bainbridge by the officers of 
the Java, that the ship left England with a crew which 
did not exceed 320 men, but the prisoners received on 
board of the Constitution very far exceeded that number; 
and when the muster book of the Java was found and ex- 
amined, it called for 409 officers, petty officers, seamen 
and marines ; so that their loss in killed must have been 
greater than they reported. 



ICO HISTORICAL SKETCHED 



CHAPTER Yin. 



'Contemplated movement of the Bi'itish and Indians from 
Maiden to Frenchtoum — Battle between the advance of 
both armies, and the defeat of the British — Cajjtiireof 
general Winchester's force, a7id massacre of the pri^ 
soners — Siege of Fort Meigs — Dudley's victory-^His 
defeat and deaths—Sortie from the garrison — Siege of 
Fort Meigs raised — Council of the Indian chiefs — Co- 
lonel Ball destroys apart of the hostile Indians. 

Exasperated at the successes of the American vo- 
lunteer troops, in their repeated assaults upon the Indian 
posts along the northwestern frontier; the enemy resolved 
upon an immediate movement of his combined forces to 
the village of Frenchtovv^n, with a view to intercept the 
American expedition, in its further approaches towards 
lietroit. In the event of this movement, which was now 
(January, 181S) every day looked for, the inhabitants of 
Frenchtown were apprehensive of being massacred, and 
they therefore implored general Winchester to march to 
their protection, thouoh the troops at that time under his 
command, were far inferior in numbers to the collected 
force, by which in all probability they Mould be assailed. 
Without any previous concert with general Harrison, as 
to the plan of operations ; and without his knowledge or 
authority, gen&ral Winchester, yielding to -the solicita- 
tion of t}\e inliabitants, determined upon marching with 
his small force, (then reduced to 800 men, by the dis- 
charge of tliose regiments whose term of service had ex- 
pired) to prevent, if possible, the destruction of the vil- 
lage, and the threatened murder of its inhabitants. On 
the 17th, lieutenant colonel William Lewis was ordered 
to proceed with a detachment to Presque-isle, where he 
was to await the arrival of another detachment, under 
lieutenant colonel Allen, which would soon after be fol- 
lowed by the main bodv of i\w trooos. On the morn- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 101 

ing of Ihe 18th, the two detachments concentrated at 
Presqiie-isle. ; when colonel Lewis, having been informed 
that an advanced party of the British and Indians, amount- 
ing to about 500, were already encamped at Frenchtown, 
immediately determined on attacking them. A rapid 
march brought him within their view at about 3 o'clock. 
At three miles distance he was apprised of their being 
prepared to receive him, and, lest they should sally out 
and suddenly encounter him, he arranged his men in the 
order of battle, and approached with caution to the mar- 
gin of the river. The command of the right wing, com- 
posed of the companies of captains M'Cracken, Bedsoe, 
and Matson, was assigned to lieutenant colonel Allen. 
The command of the left, composed of the companies 
of captains Hamilton, Williams, and Kelly, to major 
Graves. Major Madison was placed in the centre, with 
the companies of captain Hightower, of the 17th U. S, 
infantry, and captains Collier and Sabrie, Captain Bal- 
lard, acting as major, was sent in advance with two 
companies, commanded by captains Hickman and Glaves. 
Thus organized, the whole body came within a quarter 
of a mile of the enemy. The river only separated them. 
The line was then displayed, and the passage of the river 
attempted, under a fire from a howitzer, which the enemy 
directed against the volunteers, with little effect. Tlie 
line, remaining compact, marched across the ice to the 
opposite shore, at the very moment when a signal was 
given for a general charo;e. Majors Graves and Madison 
were instantly ordered to assail the houses and picketing, 
in and about which, the enemy had collected and arrayed 
his cannon, before this charge could be made. The two 
battalions advanced with great velocity, under an inces- 
sant shower of bullets, carried the picketing with ease, 
dislodged the British and Indians, and drove them into 
the wood. Lieutenant colonel Allen made a simultane- 
ous movement upon the enemy's left, then at a consider- 
able distance from the remainder of his troops, and after 
one or two spirited charges, compelled him to break, and 
drove him more than a mile; after which, he took shelter 
in the same wood, to which the right had retired. Here 
the two wings concentrated, and, being covered by the 
fences of several enclosed lots, and a group of houses, 
with a thick and brushy wood, and a quantity of fallen 

12 



lOS HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

timber in the rear, they made a stand with their howitzer 
and small arms. Colonel Allen was still advancing with 
the right wing of the American detachment, and was ex- 
posed to the lire of the whole body of the enemy. Majors 
Graves and Madison, were then directed to move up, 
with the left and the centre, to make a diversion in favour 
of the right. Their fire had just commenced, when the 
right wing advanced upon the enemy's front. A sangui- 
nary fight immediately followed : the houses were despe- 
rately assailed ; the British, who were stationed behind 
the fences, vigorously charged upon ; and their whole body 
obliged a third time to fly. Rapid pursuit was instantly 
given to them. The British and Indians drew the Ame- 
ricans into the v/ood, in their rear, and again rallying 
their forces, several times intrepidly attempted, under the 
direction of major Reynolds to break the American line. 
The fight became close and extremely hot, upon the 
right wing, but the whole line maintained its ground, re- 
pulsed every attempt, followed up the enemy each time 
as he fell back, and kept him two miles on the retreat 
under a continual charge. At length, after having obsti- 
nately contended against the American arms upwards of 
three hours, the British and Indians were entirely dis- 
persed, and carrying oft* all their wounded, and as many 
of their dead as they could collect, tliey retired from the 
held, leaving 15 of their warriors behind. The American 
loss amounted to 1 2 killed and 55 wounded. The gal- 
lantry of the officers of the detachments, left no chance 
of discrimination to the commandant. Most of them have 
been already mentioned in reference to their conduct 
on other occasions. The coolness of the men was such, 
that Avhilst they were assaulting and driving the enemy 
from the houses, not a woman or child inhabiting them 
was hurt. Colonel Lewis encamped upon the same 
gi-ound which had been previously occupied by the ene- 
my. He had captured some public property, and pro- 
tected the inhabitants thus far from tlie apprehended 
cruelty of the Indians, and he now made preparationsoto 
maintain his position until he should be joined by general 
Winchester. 

On the 20th January, the troops under general Win- 
chester arrived, and when the whole were concentrated, 
they did not exceed 750 men. 600 were posted in pic- 



OF THE LATE W All. 103 

quets, and 150 composing the right Ming were emcamped 
in an open field. On the morning of the 22d, at reveille, 
a combined force under TecumseJi and colonel Proctor, of 
2,100 men, attacked the encampment. The alarm gun 
was immediately fired, and the troops ready for the recep- 
tion of the- assailants. The attack commenced with a 
heavy fire of small arms, and the discharge of six pieces 
of artillery, directed immediately at the temporary breast- 
work behind which the left wing was stationed. The right 
Wing was attacked with great violence, and sustained the 
conflict about 20 minutes, but being outnumbered and 
overpowered, was obliged to retreat across the river. Two 
companies, of 50 men each, sallied out of the breast- 
work to their assistance, but retreated with tliem. A 
large body of the Indians had been stationed in the rear 
of the encampment, before the attack commenced, who 
either made prisoners of, or cut off, the retreating party. 
The left wing maintained its ground within the picquets. 
Three furious onsets were made upon it by the British 
41st, each of which was received with distinguished cool- 
ness, and each of which terminated in the repulse of the 
enemy. In the desperate resistance which was made to 
the charges of this regiment, 30 of its men were killed, 
and between 90 and 100 wounded. When the right wing 
was discovered to be retreating, every effort was used to 
form tliem in some order of action, either to repel the 
pursuers, or to regain the temporary breastwork, from 
behind which, the remaining part of the troops were still 
gallantly defending themselves. General Winchester's 
head quarters were several hundred yards from the en- 
campment, he therefore was not in the first of the en- 
gagement, but he had no sooner arrived at the ground, 
than he, colonel Lewis, and some others, who were at- 
tempting to rally the flying right wing, were taken pri- 
soners. The remainder of the battle was fou^t in con- 
fusion, and was rather a proof of the bravery of the 
Americans, than of any regard wluch they had for the 
order of the fight. They saw the great disparity of force, 
and knew how much their own had been weakened by the 
destruction of the right wing. But they continued to 
repel every charge of the assailants, until 11 o'clock, 
when an order was received, by a flag from the enemy, 
by which it appeared, that general Winchester was as- 



104 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

sured, that unless the troops of his command were imme- 
diately surrendered, the buildings in Frenchtown would 
be set on fire, and that no responsibility would be taken 
for the conduct of the savages, who composed the largest 
part of the enemy's force: that to save the lives of the 
remaining portion of his brave troops, he had agreed to 
surrender them prisoners of war, on condition of their 
being protected from the savages, of their being allowed 
to retain their private property, and of having their side 
arms returned to them. 35 officers, and 487 non-com- 
missioned officers and privates Vere accordingly surren- 
dered, after having fouglit with small arms, against artil- 
lery, for 6 hours; and being all that time surrounded by 
Indians resorting to their usual terrific yells. The loss 
of the Americans was 22 officers, and 275 non-commis- 
sioned officers and privates killed and missing, and 3 
officers and 22 privates wounded, who were among the 
prisoners surrendered. The enemy's loss, except that of 
the 41st regulars, could not be ascertained, every means 
being used to prevent a discovery. It has been supposed, 
however, that it was little less than that of the Americans. 
Colonel Proctor afterwards stated it, in his official com- 
munication, to be 24 killed, and 158 wounded. 

The events which followed the surrender of the Ame- 
rican arms, were of such a nature as to make the heart of 
man recoil from their recital, and to deprive their record- 
er, at a more distant day, of that degree of temperance, 
which ought ever to be inseparable from candid and im- 
partial narration. Facts, which have been established 
beyond the possibility of doubt; which have been testified 
by the solemn affirmations of the officers of the captured 
army, and admitted by those of the enemy; and which 
took place immediately under the eye of the conquering 
commander, ought not to be withlield from the world; 
the fidelity of history will not allow them to be magnified, 
its steady impartiality will neither permit them to be ex- 
tenuated. 

Destitute of the common principles of sacred humanity, 
and regardless of the civilized usages of honourable war- 
fare, the allied British and Indian forces, no sooner re- 
ceived the surrender of the vanquished, though brave 
defenders of the invaded territory, than they assailed 
them with their tomhawks and scalping knives, and strip- 
ped them of their property and clothing. When the right 



OF THE LATE WAR. 105 

will"; fell back, and about 40 men, under lieutenant Isaac 
L. Baker, were attempting to escape, an offer of protec- 
tion was made to them, on condition of their surrender. 
Lieutenant Baker very gladly yielded to the proposal for 
the safety of his men, but the proffered protection did not 
follow. One half of his party were butchered and left 
naked on the field, and himself and the remainder march- 
ed back to colonel Proctor's camp. They gave up their 
arms to the Indians, and defenceless as they were, many 
of them who brought up the rear as prisoners, were mas- 
sacred on the march. When general Winchester was 
captured, in the act of pursuing and rallying the right 
wing, the same solemn assurances of protection were giv- 
en to him, on condition of his ordering the whole detach- 
ment to surrender. His humanity induced Him to com- 
ply; but, when the troops were brought within the British 
camp, their side arms and accoutrements were taken from 
them, and presented to the savages. They were then left 
in custody of the Indians, who were instructed to fol- 
low the British regulars to Maiden, to which place the 
prisoners were to be conducted. The wounded prisoners 
were more likely to become the objects of Indian resent- 
ment, and the American general remonstrated, therefore, 
with tl^ commanding British officer on the necessity of 
their bein^ removed by the regulars. To this remon- 
strance, a pledsie was given, that such prisoners should be 
attended to. They were left behind, however, and on the 
morning of the 23d, tlue Indians fired many houses of the 
inhabitants, and burnt the prisoners who had been placed 
within them. Being then in readiness to march, they ar- 
ranged other prisoners in that order, and on finding that 
many of them could not walk, in consequence of the se- 
verity of their wounds, they immediately stripped them, 
stood them up for targets, and after killing, tomhawked, 
and scalped them. Numbers who attempted the march 
to avoid so dreadful a fate, became exhausted on the way, 
and received the same treatment in the presence of their 
afflicted fellow prisoners. Among those who were placed 
in this situation, was an officer, whose case was of the 
most unparalleled atrocity. Captain N. G. S. Hart,* of 

• * Captain Hart was brother-in-law to Henry Clay, one of the 
American commissioners at Ghent, and speaker of the House of 
Jtiepresentatives in the congress of the' United States 



106 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

Lexington, who had, on several occasions, but on this par- 
ticularly, signalized himself by his undaunted bravery, 
and who received a flesh wound in the knee, in the early 
part of the engagement, on being surrendered with the 
troops, was immediately recognized by colonel Elliot,* an 
American by birth, who had been a class mate of captain 
Hart, at an American college, and who had long been no- 
torious for his activity in exciting the savages to arm 
themselves against his fellow citizens. In this action he 
was bearing arms against his own countrymen, and on 
discovering the companion of his youth, in the hands of 
the savages, he felt that degree of national sympathy, of 
which no man, however vile, can entirely divest himself; 
and, without being solicited, made a promise of his pro- 
tection, and of providing a conveyance to Maiden, which 
would place captain Hart under his superintendence, un- 
til his recovery should be effected. But colonel Elliot's 
promise was forgotten. He departed, and a band of In- 
dians entered the house in which captain Hart lay, and 
tore him from his bed ; one of his brother officers then 
conveyed him to another apartment, where he was again 
assailed. He at length induced the Indians to agree to 
take him to Maiden, under the promise of a large reward. 
They proceeded but five miles on the road, befoj-e they 
shot him, while on his horse, and took his scalp. The fate 
of colonel Allen, captains M'Cracken, Woodfolk, Hick- 
man, and other officers, was no less unfortunate than that 
of captain Hart. 

When the surviving prisoners, officers and men, arriv- 
ed at Maiden, the savages were allowed to sell them, and 
many of the American citizens, who had been permitted 
to remain in the town of Detroit for temporary purposes, 
stept forward to ransom them ; but when colonel Proctor 
discovered, that, by this means, they obtained their re- 
lease, he issued an order forbidding any future exchanges 
of prisoners for money. Most of the officers, and many 
of the men, among the volunteers, were of the first re- 
spectability, holding offices of high trust, members of the 
con^i'ess of the United States, and accustomed to those 
refinements which result from wealth and education. 
They had left the ease and affluence with which their 
homes abounded, to obey the voice of their invaded coun- 

* A native of Marylapcl, 



OF THE LATE WAR. . 107 

try, and had encountered all kinds of hardships in their 
different marches. These men, while prisoners at Mai- 
den, were treated with that haughty superciliousness, 
which belongs not to the noble soldier, nor to the enlight- 
ened man. 

Judge Woodward, of the supreme court of the Michi- 
gan territory, rendered every assistance to the prisoners, 
within the power of an individual, and by the influence 
which he had acquired over the British commander, great- 
ly alleviated their misfortunes. He boldly charged the 
enemy with the enormities which had been committed, 
and informed colonel Proctor, after having supplied him, 
by liis own directions, with affidavits which substantiated 
all the facts, that " th(> truth would undoubtedly eventti- 
*' ally appem\ and that, that unfortunate day must meet 
" the steady and impartial eye of history" Colonel Proc- 
tor endeavoured to extenuate the facts, made no denial of 
their occurrence, but alleged that no capitulation was en- 
tered into ; that the prisoners surrendered at discretion ; 
and that, therefore, it was not necessary to control the 
Indians. The battle was officially announced to the Ca- 
nadian people, from the head quarters of the commander 
in chief, the governor general. His communication in- 
formed them, that another brilliant action had been achiev- 
ed, by the division of the army under colonel Proctor, and 
admitted that the loss of the Americans was great, because 
the Indian warriors had cut oiF ail who attempted to es- 
cape. The Indian chief. Round Head, he said, had ren- 
dered essential services, by his bravery and good conduct, 
and colonel Proctor had nobly displayed his gallantry, by 
his humane and unwearied exertions in rescuing the van- 
quished from the revenge of the Indians; for which good 
conduct he was promoted, until the pleasure of the prince 
regent should be known, to the rank of a brigadier gene- 
ral in Upper Canada. The general orders concluded, by 
ordering "a salute of 21 guns, to be fired on this glori- 
ous occasion." 

General Harrison having heard of the exposed situation 
of general Winchester's troops, had ordered a detachment 
from general Perkin's brigade, to march under major Cot- 
groves, to his relief; but they did not reach Frenchtown 
before the battle, and immediately on their return to the 
Rapids, at which place general Harrison was then station- 
ed, he fell back 18 miles to the carrying river, in order 



-^ 



108 HISTORICAIi SKETCHES 

to force a junction witli the troops in the rear, and to co- 
ver the convoy of artillery gnd stores, then coming jrom 
Upper Sandusk}^ From this place he despatched a flag 
of truce with a surgeon to Maiden, to attend to the cap- 
tured sick and wounded ; his flag was not respected, how- 
ever, and one of the surgeon's companions was killed, 
and himself wounded and taken prisoner. 

A strong desire now prevailed among the troops to 
avenge the loss of their brave brethren in arms, anrl gov- 
ernor Meigs having promptly forwarded two regiments of 
Ohio militia to reinforce general Harrison, he again ad- 
vanced to the Rapids, and commenced building a fort, 
which has since been rendered memorable under the 
name of fort Meigs. Fortifications were at the same time 
constructed at Upper Sandusky, under the direction of 
general Crooks. Whilst these precautionary measures 
were adopted, for the protection of the troops, and the 
defence of the territory, detached parties were frequently 
indulged in short excursions, none of which resulted in 
any material advantage. In one of these, the commander 
in chief, himself, marched to Fresque-isle, at the head of a 
detachment, upon hearing that a body of Indians had col- 
lected at that place; but the Indians iied, at his approach, 
too rapidly to be overtaken, and he returned to his •en- 
campment, after having marched 60 miles in 21 hours. 

No event of any consequence occurred during the re- 
mainder of the winter. Tlie unauthorized movement of 
general Winchester, was entirely subversive of general 
Harrison's plans, and so contrary to his arrangements, 
that the whole system of organization was again to be 
gone over. General Harrison therefore left the troops 
strengthening the posts of fort Meigs, Upper Sandusky, 
and fort Stephenson, whilst he returned to Ohio, to con- 
sult with the governor, to accelerate the march of the re- 
inforcements, and to expedite the transportation of addi- 
tional stores. He had not been long absent from fort 
Meigs, before the garrison was threatened with an attack. 
New levies were hastily made from Ohio and Kentucky, 
but as they did not arrive in tii^ne to resist the enemy, 
now collecting in large numbers in the neighbourhood, the 
Pennsylvania brigade voluntaiily extended its term of 
service, which had just then expired. General Harrison 
was apprised of this circumstance by despatch, and re- 



OE THE LATE WAR. 109 

turned with all possible expedition to the garrison. He 
arrived on the 20th April (1813), and made instant pre- 
paration for an approaching siege. The fort was situated 
on a commanding eminence, and well supplied with 
every necessary munition of war; but general Harrison 
being desirous of putting his men in the best possible 
state of security, was every day erecting fortifications of 
difl'erent descriptions. The troops in the garrison were 
animated and zealous in the cause of their country, and 
their exertions without parallel. On the 28th, captain 
Hamilton was sent out with a patrolling party. About 
three miles down the river, he discovered the enemy in 
great force, approaching fort Meigs, and immediately 
communicated his discovery to the general. An express 
was then sent to general Green Clay, who commanded a 
brigade of 1200 Kentuckians, with an order for his imme- 
diate march to fort Meijrs. Gerieral Harrison addressed 
the troops ; informed them of the vital importance ot every 
man's being vigilant and industrious at his post; and re- 
ceived assurances that none of them would abandon then- 
duty. A few British and a body of Indians commenced 
a* very brisk fire from the opposite shore, but the distance 
was too great to do injury. Their fire was returned from 
two 18 pounders, and they retired and concealed them- 
selves from the view of the fort. In the evening, the 
enemy crossed the river in boats, and selected the best 
situations about the fort, to throw up works for the pro- 
tection of their battering cannon. The garrison was com- 
pletely surrounded, and preparations were active, upon 
one side to storm the fort, and on the other to repel the 
most vigorous assault. Several dragoons who had offered 
to reconnoitre the enemy's camp, had not proceeded far 
from the fort, when they were fired on, and one of them 
was shot through the arm. Early on the morning of the 
29th, the Indians fired into the fort with their rifles, and 
mortally wounded a man who was talking with the gene- 
ral a constant firing was kept up on botli sides during 

the whole day. Several men in the garrison were slightly 
V ounded, and a number of the enemy killed. The Brit- 
ish batteries had been so far constructed during the night, 
that sufficient protection was afforded to him to work by 
daylight. Numbers of shot were thrown into the breast- 
works to impede their process, but before night, they 

K 



110 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

had three batteries erected, two with four embrasures 
each, and one bomb battery. On the morning of the 
30th, the besiegers were discovered to have extended 
their batteries, and to be preparing them for the cannon. 
Their progress in doing this, was retarded by a well di- 
rected and constant fire from the besieged. They were 
observed to carry away men from the batteries, by which 
it was supposed that the fire from the fort had either kill- 
ed or wounded many of them. 

General Harrison having a suspicion that the enemy 
intended to surprise and storm the garrison in its rear, 
from the circumstance of a number of boats having re- 
peatedly crossed from the old British garrison to the side 
on which stood the American fort, each loaded with men ; 
he gave orders for one-third of the troops to be constant- 
ly on guard, and the remainder to sleep with their mus- 
kets in their arms, and to be in readiness to fly to their 
posts at any moment. The Indians occupied all the ad- 
vantageous positions round the fort, and to this and many 
other discouraging circumstances, was added the want of 
water, which was supplied only from the river, whence, a 
few men each night were obliged to obtain enough fpr 
the garrison for the succeeding day. This they did at an 
imminent risk of their lives, the Indians being always on 
the alert During this day (30th,) there were several kill- 
ed and wounded on botli sides. In the night, a gun boat 
which had been towed up the river by the enemy, was 
placed near the fort, and kept up a fire at intervals upon 
it. Not one ball entered it, liowever, and on the morning 
of May 1st, she moved off, after having discharged 30 
shot without eft'ect. This morning the. grand traverse, at 
which the men had been some time engaged, was nearly- 
finished, and several inferior ones were commenced in 
different directions. The American garrison was now in 
very excellent condition; and as soon as the well should 
be finished, would defy the utmost power of the besiegers. 
At about 10 o'clock, the enemy liad one cannon prepared. 
With that he kept up a brisk fire. In the course of the 
day, he opened several pieces on the fort, and before 
night, he had in operation one 24 pounder, one 12, one 6, 
and a howitzer, from which he fired 260 shot during the 
day, without doing any material injury to fort Meigs; 
though one man was wounded mortally, two badly, and 



OF THE LATE WAR. Ill 

five slightly ; and a ball struck a bench upon which gene- 
ral Harrison was sitting. One of their pieces was silenced 
several times. The firing was continued during the fol- 
lowing day (2d,) with bombs and balls. On the 3d, a fierce 
and vigorous fire of boinbs and cannon balls commenced 
with the day. Two batteries, one of which was a bomb 
batterj, were opened upon the rear right angle of the 
American fort, at a distance of 250 yards. Their fire 
was promptly returned, and several times silenced, but 
they continued at intervals during the day. The Indians 
ascended the trees in the neighbourhood of the fort, and 
tired into it with their rifles ; only one man, however, 
was killed by a bullet. On the 4th, no firing took place 
until 1 1 o'clock. It was at first supposed that the enemy 
had exhausted himself, but at 9 o'clock it was discovered 
that he was erecting an additional battery, to guard against 
which, general Harrison ordered a new traverse to be 
constructed. A heavy rain, which fell in the early part 
of the day, retarded the firing on both sides. 

General Clay had put his troops in motion, as soon 
as he received general Harrison's orders of the 28tli ul- 
timo, and had -marched with great expedition. The 
officer who had been sent with the despatch, arrived 
at the fort on the 5th, with 47 men of general Clay's 
brigade, and informed general Harrison, that the whole 
detachment was within a few hourg' march. Orders were 
immediately sent to general Clay to land 800 men on 
the opposite shore, to storm the enemy's batteries, spike 
his cannon, and destroy his carriages, whilst a sortie 
would be circuitously made from the fort, for the purpose 
of attacking his new works at the same instant, and com- 
pelling him . to raise the siege. Colonel Dudley was 
charged with the execution of this order, and colonel 
Miller, of the 19th U. S. infantry, was to command the 
sortie. Colonel Dudley landed his men from the boats in 
which they had descended the river, and marched them 
resolutely up to the mouth of the British cannon. The 
four batteries were instantly carried, 1 1 guns spiked, and 
the British regulars and Canadian militia put to flight 
In pursuance of general Harrison's orders, colonel Dud- 
ley, after having effected the object of his landing, ought 
to have crossed the river. to fort Meigs, but his men were 
so much elated at the success of their first battle, that 



112 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

they became desirous of pursuing and capturing the re- 
treating enemy. An immense body of Indians, at that 
time marching to the British camp, were met by the re- 
gulars as they retired. With these they formed, and put- 
ting the Indians in ambush, they made a feint to draw 
colonel Dudley's men into the woods, in which they too 
well succeeded. The Indians came from their ambus- 
cade, and attacked the brave but indiscreet Kentuckians. 
A severe engagement took place, which terminated in 
the death or capture of almost the whole detachment, 
and which was followed by the same kind of massacre, 
though not to the same extent, that succeeded the sur- 
render at Raisin. The British intercepted the retreat of 
colonel Dudley to the river, where he would have been 
protected by the guns of fort Meigs, and only 150 men, 
out of 800, effected their escape. 45 were tomhawked, 
and colonel Dudley, their gallant leader, was among the 
killed. He is said to have shot one of the Indians, after 
being himself mortally wounded. The remainder of ge- 
neral Clay's brigade assailed a body of Indians in the 
wood; near the ifort, and would have been also drawn 
into an ambush, had not general Harrison ordered a party 
of dragoons to sally out, and protect their retreat to the 
fort. 

The contemplated sortie was intended to have- been 
simultaneous with the attack on the opposite side of the 
river; but the impetuosity of colonel Dudley's troops, 
defeated this project, and colonel Miller, with part of the 
19th and a body of militia, in all 350 men, sallied forth, 
after the Indians were apprised of the attack upon the 
old batteries. He assaulted the whole line of their works, 
which was defended, as has since been ascertained, by 
SOO regulars, 150 militia, and 4 or 500 Indians, and after 
several brilliant and intrepid ciiarges, succeeded in driv- 
ing the enemy from his principal batteries, and in spiking 
the cannon. He then returned to the fort with 42 pri- 
soners, among whom were two lieutenants. The first 
charge was made on the Indians and Canadians, by the 
battalion of major Alexander, the second on the regulars 
and Indians, by colonel Miller's regulars, the officers of 
which were captains Croghan, Langham, Bradford, Nea- 
ring, and lieutenant Campbell, and a company of Ken- 
tuckians, commanded by captain Sabrie, who distinguish- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 113 

ed himself in the first affair at Frenchtown. This com- 
pany maintained its ground with more firmness than could 
nave been expected from a hasty levy of militia, and 
against four times its number. It was at length, however, 
surrounded by Indians, and would have been entirely cut 
off, had not lieutenant Gwynne, of the 12th, charged tlie 
Indians with part of captain Elliot's company, and re- 
leased the Kentuckians. 

On the 6th, hostilities seemed to have ceased on both 
sides. The besieged sent down a flag by major Hukill, 
to attend to the comforts of the American wounded and 
prisoners, which returned with the British major Cham- 
bers, between whom and the garrison, some arrangements 
were made about sending home the prisoners by Cleve- 
land. On the 7th, there was a continuation of bad wea- 
ther. Flags were passing to, and from, the two armies, 
during the whole day, and arrangements were entered 
into, by which the American militia were to be sent to 
Huron, to return home by that route, and the Indians 
were to relinquish their claim to the prisoners taken on 
the opposite shore, and to receive in exchange for them, 
a number of Wyandots, who had been captured in the 
sallies of the 5th. During the 8th, the exchange and in- 
tercourse of flags continued, and a promise was made 
by the British, to furnish general Harrison with a list of 
the killed, wounded and prisoners, which however was 
not complied with. On the 9th, the enemy was observed 
to be abandoning his works, a sloop and several gun boats 
had been brought up in the night, and were receiving the 
cannon — on being discovered, a few guns from fort Meigs 
obliged them to relinquish their design, and by 10 o'clock, 
the siege was raised, and the whole of the enemy's forces 
were on their retreat. 

Thus terminated a siege of 13 days, in which the Brit- 
ish commander, general Proctor, promised the Indian 
allies, that the American garrison should be reduced, and 
its defenders delivered over to them as prisoners of war. 
1800 shells and cannon balls had been fired into the fort, 
and a continual discharge of small arms had been kept 
up, yet the American loss was only 81 killed and 189 
wounded: 17 only of the former during the siege, the 
remainder in the sortie, and the different assaults of the 
5th, Of the latter, 124 were wounded in the sortie, and 

K2 



114 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

66 during the siege. The loss of the United States re- 
gulars was l56 in .killed and wounded; that of the Ken- 
tucky and Ohio militia, and the twelve months' volun- 
teers, 114. But Kentucky, as on other occasions, suf- 
fered the most severely, her loss in killed and wounded 
amounting to 72. The daring intrepidity of the citizens 
of that state, had continually, and too often with an indis- 
creet impetuosity, led them into the most dangerous situ- 
ations. It was to this, that their defeat under colonel 
Dudley was to be attributed, and because of this, that 
they lost in that affair 200 and upwards, in killed and 
missing. But it was to this also, that the gratitude of 
the whole nation was due, when, regardless of the blood, 
which, in the first stage of the war, she had already freely 
and profusely shed, her citizens came forward with una- 
bating alacrity, and volunteered their services on every 
hazardous expedition. 

The force under general Proctor, was reported by de- 
serters to be 550 regulars, and 800 militia. The number 
of the Indians, was greater beyond comparison than had 
ever been brought into the field before. They were 
much dissatisfied at the failure of the repeated attacks 
upon the fort, the spoil of which had been promised to 
them — yet they several times during the sortie, prevent- 
ed the capture of the whole of their allies, the British re- 
gulars. In one of the assaults, commanded by captain 
Croghan, upon a battery which was defended by the grena- 
dier and ligftt infantry companies of the 41st regiment, 
the enemy suffered severely; and but for the immediate 
assistance of the Indians, could not have effected a re- 
treat, which the vigour of the assault compelled them 
to make. General Harrison caused not only the ground 
upon which the enemy's batteries had been erected in the 
neighbourhood of the fort, but that on which colonel Dud- 
ley's battle had been fought, to be strictly examined; on 
the latter, the body of that unfortunate officer was dis- 
covered, dreadfully mangled. 

Offensive preparations were now for a time suspended. 
The naval equipments on lake Evie, were in active for- 
wardness, and until these were completed, the troops 
were to remain at forts Meigs and Sandusky. The forces 
at either were adequate to its defence, and general Harri- 
son left general Clay in command of the former, whilst 



OF THE LATE WAR. 115 

he set out for the latter, and thence intended to repair 
to Franklinton, to forward new reinforcements. In the 
month of June (1813), a general council of Indian chiefs 
was assembled in the neighbourhood of Seneca town, 
Lower Sandusky, to which place the head quarters of 
general Harrisoh had been transferred. The result of 
their deliberations, was an offer to take up arms in behalf 
of the United States, and they proposed to accompany 
the general into Canada. But the incursions of the hostile 
chiefs were now more frequent than before. Their depre- 
dations were extended along the shores of the lake, and 
many of the inhabitants were killed or made prisoners. 
A temporary check was given, however, to their inroads, 
by a squadron of dragoons, who encountered and cut to 
pieces a party of the most ferocious of the savages. Colo- 
nel Ball was descending the Sandusky with 22 men, when 
he was fired upon by about 20 Indians from an ambush. 
He charged upon and drove them from their ambuscade, 
and after an obstinate contest upon a plain, favourable 
to the operation^ of cavalry, he destroyed every chief 
of the party. During the warmest of the engagement, 
he was dismounted, and in personal fight with a warrior 
of great strength. They fought with desperation until 
the colonel was relieved by an officer, who shot down 
the Indian. The savages then became furious, and after 
giving their customary signal, to receive no quarter, they 
made a vigorous onset, and kept up the contest until 
their whole band was destroyed. This aifair produced 
some terror among the Indians, and the persons and pro- 
perty of the inhabitants were secured for a while from 
outrage and plunder. 

The conduct of this vigilant and able officer, has been 
frequently spoken of, in «:general orders. At the repulse 
of the besiegers of fort Meigs, he was among the most 
conspicuous of those officers who vainly strove to surpass 
each other in the acquittal of their duty. To majors 
Ball, Todd, Sod wick, and Ritzer, and major Johnson of 
the Kentucky militia, the commander in chief gave a 
public expression of his warmest approbation. Of cap- 
tain Wood, of the engineers, who has since that time so 
nobly distinguished himself in a sortie from another gar- 
rison, the general said, that in assigning to him the first 
palm of merit, as far as. it related to the transactions with* 



116 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

in the works, he was convinced that his decision would 
be awarded by every individual in camp, who witnessed 
his indefatigable exertion; his consummate skill in pro- 
viding for the safety of every point, and in foiling every 
attempt of the enemy; and his undaunted bravery in the 
performance of his duty, in the most exposed situations. 
In speaking of the Kentuckians, he said, that it rarely 
happened that a general had to complain of the excessive 
ardour of his men, yet that such always appeared to be 
the case whenever the Kentucky militia were engaged, 
and that they appeared to think that valour alone could 
accomplish any thing. The general was led to make 
this remark, from the conduct of captain Dudley's com- 
pany, of one of the militia regiments, as he understood 
that gallant officer was obliged to turn his espontoon 
against his own company, to oblige them to desist from a 
further pursuit of the enemy. This declaration referred 
to the conduct of this company in the sortie. 

On the 6th or 7th day of the siege, general Harrison 
received from general Proctor a summons to surrender, 
which was delivered in the usual form, by major Cham- 
bers, who informed the general that the British comman- 
der was desirous of saving the effusion of blood. General 
Harrison expressed great astonishment at this demand. 
As general Proctor did not send it on his arrival, he sup- 
posed the British officers believed he was determined to' 
do his duty. Major Chambers, in vain attempted to per- 
suade him of the high respect which general Proctor en- 
tertained of him as a soldier, and intimated to him that 
there was then a larger body of Indians assembled, than 
had ever been known to have been at one time organized. 
General Harrison dismissed -him with assurances that he 
had a very correct idea of general Proctor's force, that it 
was not such as to create the least apprehension for the 
result of the contest; that general Proctor should never 
have the post surrendered to him upon any terms; and, 
that if it should fall into his hands, it should be in a 
manner calculated to do him more honour, and to give 
him larger claims upon the gratitude of his government; 
than he could possibly derive from any capitulation. 



OF THE LATE WAR. 117 



CHAPTER IX. 



Preparation for the campaign of 1813, by the northern 
army and the army of the centre — Expedition against 
Elizahethtowriy Canada — Capture of Ogdensbiirg by 
the British — Batteries at Black Rock — Concentration 
of forces at Sacket's Harbour — Description of the 
town and harbour' of Little Forky capital of Upper 
Canada — Embarkation of general Dearborn's army 
at Sacket's Harbour — rArrives at the mouth of York 
Harbour — British force under general Sheaffe — Land- 
ing of the American advance — Fight in the woods — 
Landing of the main force — British retreat to their 
garrison — Their works outside taken-— They abandon 
their, fort — Explosion of the magazine— Death of ge- 
neral Pike — The Americans enter the garrison — Gene- 
ral Sheaffe withdraws his forces from the town, and 
retreats across the Don — His rear guard annoyed by 
lieutenant Riddle — Capitulation of the militia, and 
capture of Fork — Americans leave Fork and proceed to 
J\*iagara — The fleet sails to Sackefs Harbour for re- 
inforcements — An expedition to the head of lake Onta- 
rio-— Thejieet returns — Its dispositionjjefore JVewark 
— Attack upon, and capture of. Fort George — The 
fleet on Lake Erie — Capture of Fort Erie — Defeat of 
generals Chandler and Winder — Attack on Sacket's 
Harbour by sir George Prevost — His repulse. 

Arrangements having been entered into between 
the American and British commissaries to that eftect, a 
mutual exchange of prisoners took place, which restored 
to the army of the United States, all the distinguished 
officers, who had fallen into the hands of the enemy during 
the campaign of 1812. Vigorous preparations had in the 
meantime been making by the northern army and the 



118 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

army of the centre, for opening the campaign of. 1813, 
Reinforcements of regulars from most of the recruiting 
districts, and the necessary supplies of provisions and 
military equipments, had been forwarded with the utmost 
celerity, and every thing seemed to promise a successful 
issue to the contemplated operations. 

Captain Forsythe and his detachment, consisting now 
of about 185 men, were still stationed at Ogdensburg, 
where he was in command. Deserters, from the Canada 
side of the St. Lawrence, were continually surrendering 
themselves to him, at this post, until their numbers be- 
came at length, so extensive, that the vigilance of the 
enemy was strongly excited. British guards were re- 
peatedly sent over to the American shore in search of 
them, and though they succeeded in taking about 16, they 
committed so many aggressions upon the persons and 
property of the citizens, that captain Forsythe deter- 
mined on attacking them in the village of Elizabethtown, 
and releasing the deserters whom they had thus taken 
and imprisoned at that place. On the 6th of February, 
(1813,) he therefore drafted a part of his own company, 
and accepted the services of a sujficient number of volun- 
teers, to increase his command to 200 men. With these, 
accompanied by colonel Benedict and several private gen- 
tlemen, he proceeded up the river to Morristown, where 
he formed his men, and at 3 o'clock on the morning of 
the 7th, he crossed over to Elizabethtown, surprised the 
guard, took 52 prisoners, among whom were 1 major, 3 
captains, and 2 lieutenants, and captured 120 muskets, 
20 rifles, 2 casks of fixed ammunition, and ^some other 
public property, without the loss of a single man. He 
then released the deserters from jail, recrossed the river, 
and returned to Ogdensburg, where he negotiated with 
two British officers, sent over for that purpose, for the 
parole of the prisoners. 

Soon after this, the movements of the enemy at Pres- 
cott were indicative of an intention to attack Ogdensburg. 
Colonel Benedict was therefore induced to call out his 
regiment of militia, and arrangements were immediately 
made for the defence of the place. On the 21st of Fe- 
bruary the enemy appeared before it, with a force of 
1200 men, and succeeded in driving out captain Forsythe 



OF THE LATE WAR. 119 

and his troops. The British attacked in two columns, 
of six hundred men each, at eight o'clock in the morn- 
ing, and were commanded by captain M'Donnel of the 
Glengary light infantry, and colonel Fraser of the Cana- 
dian militia. The American riflemen and militia* received 
them with firmness, anjl contended for the ground up- 
wards of an hour ; when the superiority of numbers com- 
pelled them to "abandon it, and to retreat to Black Lake, 
nearly nine miles from Ogdensburg, after losing twenty 
men m killed and wounded. The loss of the enemy, from 
the deliberate coolness with which the riflemen fired, was 
reputed to have been thrice that number. The British 
account, which claimed the capture of immense stores, 
none of which had ever been deposited there, admitted 
the loss of five distinguished officers. In consequence of 
this affair, a message was sent by the commandant of fort 
George, to colonel M*Feely, the commandant of for.f Nia- 
gara, informing him that a salute would be fired the next 
day in honour of the capture of the American village. Co- 
lonel M*Feely having received intelligence in the course 
of the same evening of the capture of his majesty's frigate 
the Java, returned the message to the British comman- 
dant, by communicating to him his intention, of firing a 
salute at the same hour from fort Niagara, in celebration 
of that brilliant event. 

On the 26th March, the batteries on Black Rock were 
opened upon the enemy, and the fire continued with little 
intermission until night. The sailors' battery completely 
silenced the lower battery of the enemy, but what dama^ 
was don€ to his troops has not been ascertained. One man 
was killed, and several hurt by accidents at the Rock. 

Reinforcements were now every day arriving, and the 
concentration of a large force at Sacket's Harbour, was ^ 
eff*ected about the middle of April (1813). Many of the 
troops from Champlain, and the shores of the St, Law- 
rence, among whom was captain Forsythe's command, were 
ordered to that point; and it was confidently expected that 
the campaign would be commenced by the invasion of Ca- 
nada, in or before the following month of May. Orders 
had been given to commodore Chauncey, by the navy 
department, to receive on board the squadron, the com- 
manding general Dearborn, and any force which he might 
destine to proceed against the posts on the British Niagara 



120 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

frontier. A plan had been conceived and organized by 
general Dearborn, by which, in co-operation with the fleet, 
he was to storm and to carry the works at Little York, the 
capital of Upper Canada, and to proceed thence to the as- 
sault of {ort George, the great bulwark of that country. 

The capital of Upper Canada was formerly known by 
the name of Toronto, and is situated at the bottom of a 
harbour of the same name, which is formed by a long and 
narrow peninsula, called Gibraltar Point, on the extremity 
of which stores and block-houses are constructed. The 
garrison stands on a bank of the main land, opposite to 
the point. To the westward of the garrison formerly stood 
the old French fort Toronto, of which scarcely any ves- 
tiges remain, and adjoining this situation is a deep bay, 
which receives the river Humher. The town of York is 
projected to extend to a mile and a half in length, fromthe 
mouth of the harbour along its banks. But many years 
must elapse before the plan is completed. Its advance to 
its present condition, has been effected in the course of 
fifteen. The government house, and the houses for the 
distinct branches of the legislature, are said to be hand- 
some, and the view from the latter highly diversified. 

Agreeably to a previous arrangement with the commo- 
dore, general Dearborn and his suite, with a force of se- 
venteen hundred men, embarked on the 22d and 23d of 
April, but the prevalence of a violent storm prevented the 
sailing of the squadron until the 25th. On that day it 
moved into lake Ontario, and having a favourable wind, 
^rrived safely at 7 o'clock, on the morning of the 27th, 
about one mile to the westward of the ruins of iifci Toron- 
to, and two and an half from the town of York. The exe- 
cution of that part of the plan which applied immediately 
to the attack upon York, was confided to colonel Pike, of 
" the 15th regiment, who had tlien been promoted to the 
rank of a brigadier general, and the position which had 
been fixed upon for landing the troops, was the scite 
of the old fort. The approach of the fleet being dis- 
covered from the enemy's garrison, general Sheaflfe, the 
British commandant, hastily collected his whole force, 
consisting of upwards of 750 regulars and militia and 100 
Indians, and disposed them in the best manner to resist 
the landing of the American force. A body of British gre- 
nadiers were paraded on the shore, and the Glengary Fen- 



OF THE liATE WAR. 121 

cibles, a corps which had been disciplined with uncom- 
mon pains since the commencement of the war, were sta- 
tioned at another point. Bodies of Indians were observed 
in groups, in difterent directions, in and about the woods 
below the scite of the fort, and numbers of horsemen sta- 
tioned in the clear ground surrounding it. These were 
seen moving into the town, where strong field works had 
been thrown up to oppose the assailants. The Indians 
v/ere taking post at stations, which were pointed out to 
them by the British officers with great skill, from which 
they could annoy the Americans at the point at which the 
water and the weather would compel them to land. Thus 
posted, they were to act as tiralleurs. The regulars were 
discovered to be moving out of their works in open co- 
lumns of platoons, and marching along the bank in that 
order into the woods. 

At 8 o'clock the debarkation commenced ; at ten it was 
completed. Major Forsythe and his riflemen, in several 
large batteau3c, were in the advance. They pulled vigor- 
ously for the designated ground at the scite, but were 
forced by a strong easterly wind a considerable distance 
above. The enemy being within a few feet of the water, 
and completely masked by the thickness of a copse, com- 
menced a galling fire of musketry and rifle. To have 
fallen further from the clear ground at wliich he was first 
ordered to land, would have subjected not only his own 
corps but the whole body of the troops to great disadvan- 
tages ; and by landing at a greater distance from tlie town, 
the object of the expedition might be frustrated. Major 
Forsythe, therefore, determined upon making that part 
of the shore on which the enemy's principal strength was 
stationed, and desired his men to rest a moment on their 
oars, un.til his riflemen should return the shot. General 
Pike was at this moment hastening the debarkation of the 
infantry, when, as he was standing on the ship's deck, he 
observed the pause of the boats in advance, and springing 
into that which had been reserved for himself and his staff^ 
he called to them to jump into the boat witli him, ordered 
major King of the 15th (the same w!io had distinguished 
himself in carrying the enemy's batteries opposite Black 
Rock,) to follow him instantly with three companies of 
that regiment, and pushed for the Canadian shore. Before 
he reached it, Forsythe had landed, and was already en- 

L 



i:^^ IllSTOmCAL SKETCHES 

gaged with the principal part of the British and Indian 
force, under the immediate command of general Sheaffe. 
He contended with them nearly half an hour. The in- 
fantry under major King, the light artillery under major 
Eustis, the volunteer corps commanded by Col. M*Clure» 
and about 30 men who had been selected from the 15th 
at Plattsburg, trained to the rifle, and designed to act as 
a small corps of observation, under lieutenant Riddle, 
then landed in rapid succession, and formed in platoons. 
General Pike took command of the first, and ordering the 
whole body to prepare for a charge, led them on to the 
summit of the bank^ from which the British grenadiers 
were pouring down a volley of musketry and rifle shot. 
The advance of the American infantry was not to be 
withstood, and the grenadiers yielded their position and 
retired in disorder. The signal of victory was at the 
same instant heard from Forsythe's bugles, and the sound 
had no sooner penetrated the ears of the Indians, than 
they gave a customary yell, and fled in every direction. 
The Glengary corps then skirmished with Forsythe's, 
whilst a fresh body of grenadiers, supposed to have been 
the 8th or King's reg-iment; made a formidable charge 
upon the American column, and partially compelled it to 
retire. But the oflicers instantly rallied the troops, who 
returned to the ground, and impetuously charged upon, 
and routed the grenadiers. A reinforcement of the re- 
mainder of tlie 15th then arrived, with captain Steel's pla- 
toon, and the standards of tlie regiment, and the Ameri- 
cans remained undisputed masters of the ground. 

A fresh front, however, was presented by the British 
at a distance, which gave way and retired to the garri- 
son as soon as the American troops were again formed, 
by major King, for the charge. Tlie whole body of the 
troops being now landed, orders were given by general 
Pike to form in platoons, and to march in that order to 
the enemy's works. The first line was composed of For- 
sythe's riflemen, with front and flank guards; the regi- 
ments of the first brigade, with their pieces ; and three 
platoons of reserve, under the orders of major Swan ; 
major Eustis and his train of artillery were formed in the 
rear of this reserve, to act where circumstances might re- 
quire. The second line was composfd of the 21st regi- 
ment, in six platoons, flanked by colonel M'CIure's vo~ 



OF THE LAT15 WAR. 123 

lunteers, divided equally as light troops, and all under 
command of colonel Ripley. Thus formed, an injunction 
was given to each officer, to suffer no man to load ; when 
witliin a short distance of the enemy, an entire reliance 
would be placed upon the bayonet ; and the column 
moved on with as much velocity as the streams and ra- 
vines, which intersected the road along the lake, would 
permit. One field piece, and a howitzer, were with diffi- , 
culty passed over one of these, the bridges of which had 
been destroyed, and placed at the head of the column, 
in charge of lieutenant Fanning, of the 3d artillery. As 
the column immerged from the woods, and came imme- 
diately in front of the enemy's first battery, two or three 
£4 pounders were opened upon it, but without any kind 
of effect. The column moved on, and the enemy retreated 
to his second battery. The guns of the first, were imme- 
diately taken, and lieutenant Riddle, having at this mo- 
ment come up with his corps, to deliver the prisoners 
which he had made in the woods, was ordered to pro- 
ceed to take possession of the second battery, about 100 
yards ahead, the guns of which, lieutenant Fraser, aid-de- 
camp to the general, reported to have been spiked by the 
enemy, whom he discovered retreating to the garrison. 
^General Pike then led the column up to the second bat- 
tery, when he halted to receive th^ captured ammunition, 
and to learn the strength of the garrison. But as every 
appearance indicated the evacuation of the barracks, he 
suspected the enemy of an intention to draw him within 
range of the shot, and then suddenly to show himself in 
great force. Lieutenant Riddle was sent forward with 
his corps of observation, to discover if there were any, and 
what number of troops, within the garrison. The barracks 
were three hundred yards distant from the second batte- 
ry, and whilst this corps was engaged in reconnoitring, 
general Pike, after removing a wounded prisoner from a 
dangerous situation, had seated himself upon a stump, and 
commenced an examination of a British sergeant, who 
had been taken in the woods. Riddle, having discovered 
that the enemy had abandoned the garrison, was about to 
return with this information, when the magazine, which 
was situated outside the barrack yard, blew up, with a 
tremendous and awful explosion, passed over Riddle and 
his party, without injuring one of his men, axid killed and 



124 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

wounded general Pike, and 260 of the column. The se- 
verity of general Pike's wounds disabled him from further 
service, and the command of the troops devolved upon 
colonel Pearce of the 16th regiment, who sent a demand 
to the town of York for an immediate surrender. The 
plan of the contemplated operations was known only to 
general Pike, and, as general Dearborn had not yet land- 
ed, the future movements of the troops would depend 
upon the will of their new commander. He ordered 
them immediately to form the column, and to march for- 
ward and occupy the barracks, which major Forsythe, who 
had been scouring the adjoining wood, had already en- 
tered. Meanwhile, the British regulars were retreating 
across the Don, and destroying the bridges in their rear. 
After the explosion, lieutenant Riddle with his party, then 
reinforced by 30 regulars, under lieutenant Horrell, of the 
1 6th, pursued the enemy's route, and annoyed his retreat- 
ing guard from the wood. This was the only pursuit 
which was made. 

Had a more vigorous push followed the abandonment 
of the enemy's garrison, his whole regular force must 
have been captured, and the accession of military stores 
would have bean extensively great. The majority of the 
officers were well aware of this, and as it was known that 
the stores were deposited at York, they urged the neces- 
sity of the immediate approach of the whole column, to 
prevent their removal. Colonel Pearce then marched 
towards the town, which was distant three quarters of a 
mile. About half way between York and the garrison, 
the column was intercepted by several officers of the 
Canadian militia, who had come out with terms of ca- 
pitulation. Whilst tliese were discussing, the enemy 
was engaged in destroying tlie military store house, and a 
large vessel of war, then on the stocks, and which in three 
days might have been launched, and added to the Ameri- 
can squadron on Ontario. Forsythe, who was on the left 
in advance, being aware of this, despatched lieutenant 
Riddle to inform colonel Pearce. Colonel Pearce enjoined 
the observance of general Pike's orders, that the property 
of the inliabitants of York should be held sacred, and that 
any soldier who should so far neglect the honour of his 
profession, as to be guilty of plundering, should, on con- 
viction, be punished with death. At 4 o'clock in the af- 



OF THE XATE WAR. 125 

ternoon, the Americans were in possession of the town, 
and terms of capitulation were agreed upon, by which 
notwithstanding the severe loss which the army and the 
nation had sustained by the death of the general ; the un- 
warrantable manner in which that loss was occasioned; 
and the subtlety with which the militia colonels otFered to 
capitulate at a distance from the town, so that the column 
might be detained until general Sheafte should escape, 
. and the destruction of the public property be completed, 
although one of its articles stipulated for its delivery into 
the hands qf the Americans; tlie militia and inhabitants 
were freed from all hardship, and not only their persons 
and property, but their legislative hajl and other public 
buildings were protected. The terms of the capitulation 
were, " that the troops, regulars and militia, and the naval 
" officers anfl seamen should be surrendered prisoners of 
*' war. That all public stores, naval and military, should 
•" be immediately given up to the commanding officers of 
" the army and navy of the United States, and that all 
*' private property should be guaranteed to the citizens of 
" the town of York. That all papers belonging to the 
" civil officers should be retained by them, and that such 
" surgeons as might be procured to attend the wounded 
" of the British regulars and Canadian militia, should not 
" be considered prisoners of ^var." Under this capitula- 
tion, 1 lieutenant colonel, 1 major, 13 captains, 9 lieute- 
nants, 11 ensigns, 1 deputy adjutant general, and 4 naval 
officers, and 250 non-commissioned officers and privates, 
were surrendered. The American infantry were then or- 
dered to return and quarter in the barracks, while the 
riflemen were stationed in the town. 

Wlien general Pike's wound was discovered to be mor- 
tal, he was removed from the field, and carried to the 
shipping, with his wounded aids. As they conveyed him 
to the water's edge, a sudden exclamation was heard from 
the troops, which informed him of the American having 
supplanted the British standard in the garrison. He ex- 
pressed his satisfaction by a feeble sigh, and after being 
transferred from the Pert schooner to the commodore's 
ship, he made a si,2;n for the British flag, which had then 
been brought to him, to be placed under his head, and 
expired without a groan. Thus perished, in the arms of 
victory, by the ungenerous stratagem of a vanquished 

L2 



126 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

foe, a soldier of tried valour, and invincible courage ; a 
general of illustrious virtues and distinguished talents. 

When the British general saw the American column 
advancing from the woods, he hastily drew up the articles 
of capitulation, and directed them to be delivered to a 
colonel of the York militia. This colonel was instructed 
to negotiate the terms after the regulars should have 
retreated. General Sheaife, therefore, considered the 
garrison to be as much surrendered, as if the articles had • 
been actually agreed upon and signed. Yet he treache- 
rously ordered a train to be laid, which was so calculated 
that the explosion of the magazine should be caused, at 
the time when the Americans would arrive at the bar- 
racks. Had not general Pike halted the troops at the 
enemy's second battery, the British plan v/ould have at- 
tained its consummation, and the destruction of the whole 
column would have been the natural consequence. The 
train had been skilfully laid, and the combustibles ar-* 
ranged in a manner to produce the most dreadful effect. 
500 barrels of powder, several cart loads of stone, and 
an immense quantity of iron, shells, and shot, were con- 
tained in the magazine. The calamity which followed 
the explosion, caused no discomfiture among the troops. 
A number of their officers, of high rank, and of equal 
worth, were either killed or wounded, and they became 
actuated by a desire to revenge their fall. " Push on, 
my brave fellows, and avenge your general" were the 
last words of their expiring commander. They instantly 
gave three cheers, formed the column, and marched on 
rapidly. Had they been led directly to York, the issue of 
the expedition would have been fruitful with advantages. 
As it was, however, the enemy's means were crippled, his 
resources cut off, and the military stores of the captors 
extensively multiplied. Most of the guns, munitions of 
war, and provisions, necessary to carry on tlie campaign 
by the enemy, had been deposited at York, and notwith- 
standing the firing of the principal store house, an im- 
mense quantity fell into the hands of the Americans. 
The baggage and private papers of general SheafFe were 
left at York, in the precipitation of his flight, and proved 
to be a valuable acquisition to the American commander. 
These, and the public stores were the only articles of cap- 
ture. The conduct of the troops needed no restraint. 



OF THE LATE WAR. 127 

Though their indignation was highly excited, by the cir- 
cumstance of a scalp having been found, suspended near 
the speaker's chair, in the legislative chamber, neither the 
ornaments of the chamber, the building itself, nor the 
public library, were molested. A large quantity of flour, 
deposited in the public stores, was distributed among the 
inhabitants, on condition that it should be used for their 
own consumption ; and those whose circumstances were 
impoverished, were supplied with many other articles of 
the captured provisions. The balance was taken on board 
the fleet, with the naval stores, or destroyed upon the 
shore. 

Immediately after the fall of general Pike, the com- 
mander in chief landed with his staff, but he did not reach 
the troops until they had entered York. He there made 
arrangements to expedite their departure for the other 
objects of the expedition, and they were soon after re- 
embarked. 

The co-operation of the squadron was of the greatest 
importance in the attack upon the enemy's garrison. As 
soon as the debarkation M^as completed, commodore 
Chauncey directed the schooners to take a position near 
the forts, in order that the attack of the army and navy, 
might, if possible, be simultaneous. The larger vessels 
could not be brought up, and in consequence of the wind, 
the schooners were obliged to beat up to their intended 
position. This they did, under a very heavy fire from the 
enemy's batteries, and having taken their station .within 
six hundred yards of the principal fort, opened a galling 
fire, and contributed very much to its destruction. The 
loss on board the squadron, was 3 killed and 11 wounded. 
Among the killed were midshipmen Thompson and Hat- 
field, the latter of whom, in his dying moments, had no 
other care than to know if he had performed his duty to 
his country. 

In the action, the loss of the American army was trifling; 
but in consequence of the explosion, it was much greater 
than the enemy's loss in killed and wounded. 14 were 
killed and 32 wounded in battle, and 38 were killed and 
222 wounded by the explosion, so that the total Ameri- 
can loss amounted to 320 men: Among those who fell 
by the explosion, besides general Pike, were 7 captains, 
7 subalterns, 1 aid de camp, 1 acting aid, and 1 volunteer 



128 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

aid. The enemy's Icfss in killed and wounded, amount- 
ed to 200 — in prisoners 550 — ^fitty of whom were regu- 
lars — being altogether 750 men. His wounded were left 
in the houses on the road leading to, and in the neighbour- 
hood of York, and were attended to by the American 
army and navy surgeons. The prisoners were all paroled, 
and the troops withdrawn from York immediately after 
its capture. 

The officers of the 15th, greatly distinguished them- 
selves tliroughout the day. The death of their gallant 
leader, who had personally organized that regiment, and 
had already successfully led detachments of it to the field, 
inspired them with a more determined spirit to revenge 
the barbarous act of a defeated enemy, than could be felt 
by any other corps. Animated by this desire, they anx- 
iously pressed forward, and had they been permitted to 
pursue the retreating column of the English, under the 
distinguished officer (major King) who now commanded 
them, general SheafFe and his regulars would not have 
effected their escape- Several platoon officers of this, 
and the 16th regiment, were killed. Captains Nicholson 
and Lyon by the explosion — captain Hoppock, as his 
company were landing. Lieutenant colonel Mitchell of 
the Sd regiment of artillery, acted as a volunteer on the 
expedition, and by his indefatigable exertions, at every 
post of danger, gave strong presages of that gallantry, by 
which he has since identified his name with those of the 
bravest officers of the army. Ma,] or Eustis, captains 
Scott, Young, Walworth, and Stephen H. Moore of the 
Baltimore volunteers, who lost a leg by the explosion, 
and lieutenants M'Glassin, Fanning, and Riddle, were 
among the most conspicuous officers of the day. The 
latter had been expressly selected by general Pike, from 
his own regiment, to command the corps of observation, 
and was always appointed to the most hazardous enter- 
prises. 

Lieutenant Bloomfield of the 15th, and nephew to bri- 
gadier general Bloomfield, was also killed. The army 
.sustained another loss in the death of this brave young 
officer. The 21st regiment, under colonel Ripley, thougli 
it formed part of the reserve, and did not participate in 
the action at the place of landing, was in a state of strict 
discipline, and manoeuvred with great skill. 



OF THE iATE WAR. 129 

On the 1st dayof May (1813), the Canadian territory in 
the neighbourhood of York, was entirely evacuated. The 
troops were all placed in the vessels to which they had 
been respectively assigned, and a small schooner was 
despatched to Niagara, to apprise general Morgan Lewis, 
then in command at that place, of the result of the expe- 
dition against York, and of the intended approach of the 
troops toward fort Niagara. 

But the fleet, which consisted of about 17 sail, did not 
leave the harbour of York until the 8th, in consequence 
of the prevalence of contrary winds. Late on that day, 
they arrived at Four Mile Creek, which empties into the 
lake at that distance below fort Niagara^ and thence takes 
its name. Here the troops were landed. 

On the 9th, two Schooners, under command of lieute- 
nant Brown of the navy, were ordered to proceed to 
the head of lake Ontario, with 100 regulars, commanded 
by captain Willoughby Morgan, of the 12th regiment, to 
destroy or capture the public stores, which were then 
known to be deposited there. On their arrival, the ene- 
my's guard, of about 80 men, retired ; the public build- 
ings wei'e destroyed by the detachment, the stores brought 
away, and the expedition returned on the 11th, without 
loss. 

On the 10th, commodore Chauncey sailed with the re- 
mainder of the fleet, to convey the wounded officers and 
men to Sacket's Harbour, and to obtain reinforcements 
there for the army. Between the time of his arrival at 
the harbour and the 22d of May, detachments of the 
squadron sailed on different days for Niagara, with such 
reinforcements as could be spared. Having directed the 
schooners Fair American and Pertt commanded by lieu- 
tenants Chauncey and Adams, to remain near the har- 
bour, and to watch the enemy's movements from Kings- 
ton, the commodore sailed on the 22d with 350 of colonel 
M'Comb's regiment of artillery, and a number of addi- 
tional guns, and arrived at the Niagara on the 25 th.— 
Arrangements were immediately made ^between commo- 
dore Chauncey and general Dearborn, for an attack upon 
fort George and its dependencies. On the 26th, the com- 
modore reconnoitred the position at which the troops 
were to be landed, and at night sounded the shore, and 
placed buoys at stations for the small vessels. The wea- 



130 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

ther, which had been for several days extremely boister- 
ous, now moderated, and it was agreed that a conjoint 
attack, by the army and navy, should be made on the 
following morning. A sufficient quantity of boats, to 
land the troops in the order of attack, had been by this 
time provided, and a considerable number which had 
been for several days building at the Five Mile Meadows, 
above the fort, were now in readiness to be launched into 
the Niagai^a river. 

On the afternoon of the 26th, the enemy, having ob- 
served the preparations for launching the boats, opened 
a small battery, ^ which had been erected immediately 
opposite the meadows, for the purpose of annoying tlie 
workmen and of destroying the boats. The fire from 
this battery produced a premature cannonade between 
forts George and Niagara, which was followed by a bom- 
bardment between all the batteries in the neighbourhood 
of the two forts. The battery which stood directly oppo- 
site fort George, did great injury to that garrison, and its 
guns were directed Math such precision, that the halyards 
of the enemy's flag staff' were shot away. No block- 
house, or wooden building of any description, in or near 
that fort, escaped injury; whilst on the American side, 
not the most trifling loss was sustained. The boats, in 
the meantime, succeeded in passing fort George, and pro- 
ceeded to the encampment at Four Mile Creek. On the 
same night, all the artillery, and as many troops as could 
possibly be accommodated,"^ were put on board the Madi- 
son, the Oneida, and the Lady of the Lake. The re- 
mainder were to embark in tlie boats, and to follow the 
fleet. At 3 o'clock on the morning of the 9.7t\\, signal 
was made for the fleet to weigh anchor. In conse.quence 
of the calmness of the weather, the schooners were 
obliged to resort to sweeps to attain their positions ; which 
they did in the following order — Sailing masters Trant, 
in the Julia, and Mix, in the Groivler, took their stations 
at the mouth of the river, and silenced a battery, which, 
from its situation, commanded the shore where the troops 
were to land, about one-fourth of a mile below the town 
of Newark. Mr. Steevens, in the Ontario, took a position 
to the north of the lighthouse, near which this battery 
was erected, and so close to the shore as to enfilade the 
batterv, and cross the fire of the Julia and Growler, — • 



OF THE LATE WAR. 131 

Lieutenant Brown, in the Governor Tompkins, stationed 
himself near the Two Mile Creek, on the enemy's side, 
where a battery had been erected of one heavy gun. Lieu- 
tenant Brown in the Conquest, anchored to the south-east 
of the same battery, opened on it in the rear, and crossed 
the fire of the Governor Tompkins. Lieutenant M'Pher- 
son in the Hamilton, lieutenant Smith in the Asp, and 
sailing master Osgood in the Scourge, took stations near 
the above, to cover the landing, and to scour the woods 
and the plain. 

This disposition was skilfully effected, and each vessel 
was within musket shot of the shore. At 4 o'clock, ge- 
nerals Dearborn and Lewis, with their suites, went on 
board the Madison, and by that hour the troops were all 
embarked. The whole number amounted to more than 
4000. The batteries were now playing upon each other 
from the opposite sides of the river, and the troops ad- 
vanced at intervals in three brigades. The advance was 
led by colonel Scott. It was composed of the artillery, 
acting as infantry ; of Forsythe's riflemen, and of detach- 
ments from infantry regiments, and landed near the bat- 
tery, which had been silenced by the Governor Tomp- 
kins. General Boyd, to whom the late general Pike's bri- 
gade had been assigned, commanded the first line, which 
was flanked by colonel M'C lure's Baltimore and Albany 
volunteers. This Brigade struck the enemy's shore imme- 
diately after the advance had landed. The second bri- 
gade, under general Winder, followed next, and then the 
third, under general Chandler. While the troops were 
crossing the lake in this order, the wind suddenly sprung 
up very fresh from the eastward, and caused a heavy sea 
directly on the shore ; the boats could not therefore be 
got off to land the troops from the Madison and Oneida, 
before the 1st and 2d brigades had advanced, and 
M'Comb's regiment, and the marines under captain 
Smith, did not reach the shore until the debarkation of 
these brigades had been completed. 

When the advance, which consisted of about 500 men, 
was approaching the point of landing, successive volleys 
of musketry were poured upon it by 1200 regulars, sta- 
tioned in a ravine. A brisk exchange of shot was kept 
up for 15 minutes, the advance, nevertheless, continuing 
to approach the enemy without faltering. Such, indeed. 



152 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

was the eagerness of the troops, that offid'ers and men 
jumped into the lake and waded to the shore. Captain 
Hindman of the 2d artillery, was the first man upon the 
enemy's territory. The troops were now formed with 
celerity, and led to the charge. They drove the enemy 
from their strong hold, and dispersed them in every di- 
rection ; some of their forces taking to the wood for shel- 
ter, and others retreating to the fort. The former were 
vigorously pursued by Forsythe's riflemen, and the latter 
by the advance corps and the 1st brigade. Few shot 
were fired from the fort, the panic being instantly com- 
municated to the garrison. Fort Niagara, and its depen- 
dent batteries, were still throwing in their shot, and fort 
George having become untenable, the enemy hastily laid 
a train to the magazines, abandoned all their works, and 
moved oflf with the utmost precipitation in different routes. 
Colonel Scott, with his light troops, continued the pur- 
suit, until he was recalled by an order from general Boyd. 
Lieutenant Riddle had been sent by colonel Scott with 
his detached party, to annoy the rear of the enemy, but 
not being ordered back, at the time when the light troops 
were recalled, he followed his route to Queenstown, and 
took up several of his straggling parties. The dragoons 
under colonel Burn, crossed the Niagara river above fort 
George, at the moment the pursuit w^s stopped. The 
light troops now took possession of fort George ; colonel 
Scott, and captains Hindman and Stockton, with their 
companies, entering first and extinguishing the fires which 
were intended to explode the magazine ; one had, how- 
ever, already been* blown up. General Boyd and colonel 
Scott mounted the parapet, and cut away the staff, whilst 
captain Hindman succeeded in taking the flag which the 
enemy had left flying, and which he forwarded to general 
Dearborn. The American ensign was then hoisted in the 
town and fort, and all the troops were called in and quar- 
tered. At 12 o'clock, Newark, and all its surrounding 
batteries, were in quiet possession of the American army; 
and such was the speed with which the enemy retreated, 
that very few of his troops were overtaken. General 
Dearborn's forces had been under arms eleven hours, and 
were said to be too much exhausted to pursue him with 
as much rapidity as he moved off. 



Ot THE LATE WAR. 163 

At the time the enemy abandoned his works, the wind 
had increased so much, and the sea had become so violent 
towards the shore, that the situation of the fleet at the 
stations which the different vessels had taken, was thought 
to be dangerous in the extreme. Commodore Chauncey 
therefore made signal for the whole fleet to M^igh, and 
to proceed into the river, where they anchored between 
the forts George and Niagara. Although the action was 
fought by inferior numbers on the American side, the ad- 
vance, and part of Boyd's brigade only being engaged, 
the loss of the enemy was excessive. — He had in killed, 
108; in wounded 163; 115 regulars were taken prisoners, 
exclusive of his wounded, all of whom fell into the hands 
of the Americans : so that the loss of the enemy in 
killed, wounded and prisoners, of his regular force, 
amounted to 366. The militia prisoners who were pa- 
roled to the number of 50r, being added to their loss, 
makes a total of 893. The American army lost 39 in 
killed, and 111 in wounded. Among the former, only one 
officer, lieutenant Hobart of the light artillery. Among 
the latter, were major King of the 15th, captain Arrow- 
smith of the 6th, captain Steel of the 16th, captain Roach 
of the 23d (who had been wounded at the battle of 
Queenstown heights, and was promoted to the rank of 
captain for his good conduct there) and lieutenant Swear- 
ingen of Forsythe's riflemen. The British 49th (Invinci- 
bles) was in this action, and colonel Myers, who command- 
ed it, wounded and taken prisoner. 

In speaking of the conduct of the soldiers and seamen, 
both general Dearborn and commodore Chauncey alleged, 
that aU behaved too well to suffer the election of any one 
for commendation. The former, however, in a second 
despatch to the war department, stated that the wliole of 
the officers and men, discovered that readiness and ardour 
for action, which evinced a determination to do honour to 
themselves and their country — that the animating exam- 
ples set by general Boyd and colonel Scott, deserved par- 
ticular mention, and that he, the commander in chief, was 
greatly indebted to colonel M. Porter, of the light artille- 
ry; to major Armistead, of the 3d regiment of artillery; 
and to captain Totten of the engineers; for their skilful 
execution, in demolishing the enemy's fort and batteries, 
liieutenant commandant Oliver H. Perry, had joined 

M 



134 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

the squadron on the night of the 25th, volunteered his 
services in the contemplated attack, and rendered great 
assistance in arranging and superintending the debarkation 
of the troops. On board the squadron, the loss was one 
killed and two wounded. Commodore Chauncey was in- 
defatigable in his co-operations with the army, in all its 
important movements. Many of the advantages obtain- 
ed in this aftair, are to be attributed to his judicious 
plan of silencing the enemy's batteries. — General Dear- 
born had been confined for several days by a violent 
indisposition, but he refused to yield the command of 
the expedition, and issued his orders regularly from his 
bed. 

Captain Perry was despatched to Black Rock the day 
after the battle, with fifty seamen, to take five vessels to 
lake Erie as soon as possible, and to prepare the whole 
squadron for the service by the ioth of June. Two brigs 
had been launched at Erie, and two or three small schoon- 
ers, had been purchased into the service. The squadron 
was daily expected to be in readiness to proceed to 
Presque-isle, to co-operate with the northwestern army. 
On the 28th, general Dearborn having received infor- 
mation that the enemy had made a stand on the moun- 
tain at a place called Beaver Dam, where he had a 
deposit of provisions and stores: and that he had been 
joined by 300 regulars from Kingston, landed from small 
vessels at the head of the lake, immediately ordered 
general Lewis to march to that place, with Chandler and 
Winder's brigades, the light artillery, dragoons, and rifle- 
men, to cut oft' his retreat. Although the enemy's troops 
from fort Erie and Chippewa had joined his main body at 
Beaver Dam, he precipitately broke up his encampment 
on the approach of the Americans, and fled along the 
mountains to the head of the lake. General Lewis's army 
moved on and took possession of the difterent posts be- 
tween fort George and fort Erie, the latter of which was 
entered by lieutenant colonel Preston, of the 12th, in the 
evening of that day; the post having been previously 
abandoned, and the magazines blown up by the enemy. 
Two days before, the Queen Charlotte, and three others, 
of the enemy's vessels, came down to that fort, but on 
hearing of the capture of fort George, they proceeded up 
the lake to Maldeo, 



OF THE LATE WAR. 135 

Tlie enemy having abandoned all his positions along 
the Niagara, general Lewis returned with his division to 
fort George: but as it was rumoured, that general Proc- 
tor intended to march from the northwestern frontier, to 
join. general Vincent, who had already marched from that 
place, and to retrieve the misfortunes of the British arms, 
it became necessary to press forward with a force com- 
petent to prevent the union of the British generals, or at 
least to intercept them, in their contemplated route. Ge- 
neral Winder was therefore despatched on the first day 
of June (1 813), with his own brigade, and one regiment of 
general" Chandler's. He was followed on the 3d, by the 
remainder of Chandler's brigade, the dragoons and artille- 
ry, under the orders of that general to whom the chief 
command was assigned. They proceeded to the Forty 
Mile Creek, where they gained intelligence of general 
Vincent having taken a stand at Burlington Heights, 
near Stony Creek, being about 48 miles distant from the 
fort George. In the vicinity of Stony Creek, the Ame- 
ricans encamped ; but in so careless a manner, that they 
were surprised by the enemy at midnight, and several of 
their principal officers made prisoners. General Vincent, 
it has been supposed, became possessed of the Americafn 
countersign — and having discovered that the weakest 
part of the camp was its centre, he made an attack upon 
it, at that point, at two o'clock on the morning of the 
sixth. Profiting by the example of the Americans at 
York, he ordered that no musket should be loaded, lest 
a precipitate fire might apprise his unsuspecting enemy 
of his advance, and led up the 8th or King's regiment, 
and the 49th, with fixed bayonets, to charge upon the 
sentinels. The American advanced guard, under com- 
mand of captain Van Vechton, were first alarmed by the 
groan of a dying sentinel, and were surprised and made 
prisoners. Five pieces of light artillery, near the front 
were captured, and turned upon the encampment, before 
the alarm became general. The two brigadiers. Chandler 
and W^inder, who had but an hour before separated from 
a council, were instantly mounted, and the men formed 
with as much facility as the extreme darkness of the 
morning would permit. General Chandler took post in 
the rear of the left flank of the right wing — general W^in- 
der comvnanded the left wing. Such was the momentary 



Id6 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

confusion which prevailed, that the contending parties 
could not distinguish each other. When the five pieces 
of artillery were fired into the encampment, generals 
Chandler and Winder both rode up to the battery, to 
prevent another discharge, under an impression that the 
American troops had mistiiken the enemy. They were 
both consequently captured. The other officers were ig- 
norant of the loss ot their generals, and each chose his 
own plan of resisting the assailing party. The advanced 
corps, the 5th, 25th, and part of the 23d, were engaged ; 
those in the rear did not get to the assistance of the front. 
The 16th, which because of the illness of its colonel, and 
the absence of its lieutenant colonel, and other field offi- 
cers, was commanded by captain Steele, was forming on 
its standards, when the cavalry under colonel Burn, hav- 
ing cut their way through the Britisli 49th, with such 
impetuosity that they could not stop, pierced through the 
centre of that regiment. The confusion increased. The 
different companies of the l6th, were firing on each 
other; the artillery were engaging the infantry, and the 
cavalry the artillery; each corps being under an impres- 
sion, that it was contending with the enemy. 

This state of things continued, until captain Towson 
opened his artillery, which, being stationed more in the 
rear than any of the other pieces, he brought against the 
enemy with such eftect, that the confusion and disorder, 
which had taken place in the American lines, prevailed 
also within the British. The companies of the 2d artille- 
ry, which were then acting as light corps, under captains 
Hindman, Nicholas, Biddle, and Archer, kept up an in- 
cessant fire, until the dawn of the day enabled the troops 
to distinguish each other. An attempt was then made to 
form the line, colonel Burn, now commanding. The 5th 
regiment, which had been annoj^ing the enemy, from the 
commencement of the action until daybreak, dfid not lose 
one man, and was found at that time formed in line, and 
sustained on its left flank by part of the 23d, under major 
Armstrong. The firing from the encampment became 
brisk and irresistible. The enemy gave way, rallied 
and broke again. The dragoons charged upon, and com- 
pletely routed them. They fled in every direction, and 
their commanding officer was missing before day. Hif? 
horse and accoutrements were found upon the ground!, 



OF TttE LATE WAR. 137 

and he himself was discovered by his own people, in the 
course of the same day, almost famished, at a distance of 
four miles from the scene of action. 

Several desperate efforts had been made before the en- 
emy fled, to take the artillery. Lieutenant Machesney*s 
gallantry recovered one piece, and prevented the capture 
of others. Lieutenant M'Donough,- of the 2d artillery, 
pursued a retreating party, and recovered another. The 
good conduct of these brave young men, as well as that of 
captains Hindman, Nicholas, Archer, Steel, and Leonard, 
of the light artillery, has been spoken of, in general or- 
ders, in terms of stron;^ commendation. — Colonel Burn 
and colonel Milton, gallantly distinguished themselves, 
and were said to have saved the army. The American 
loss in this affair, was 16 killed, 38 wounded, and 2 bri- 
gadiers general, 1 major, 3 captains, and 94 men missing; 
making in all 154. The whole of the missing fell into the 
hands of the enemy — whose loss was excessively severe, 
but particularly in officers. 100 prisoners, mostly of the 
49th, were captured, and transported to fort George. — 
Captain Manners, of that regiment, being ill, was taken 
in his bed, by lieutenant Riddle, who, from a principle of 
humanity, put him on his parole, on condition of his not 
serving the enemy, until he should be exchanged. — An 
engagement which that officer violated, by appearing in 
arms against the American troops, immediately after the 
recovery of his health. 

In the course of the morning, the British sent a flag 
of truce, to obtain permission to bury their dead, and to 
remove their wounded. — ^The latter, however, had been 
placed in the neighbouring houses, under the care of the 
American surgeons, and the army having given up the 
pursuit of the enemy, had fallen back to Forty Mile 
Creek, being about ten miles in the rear of the field of 
battle. Here it encamped, on a plain of a mile in width, 
its right flank on the lake, its left on the creek, skirting 
the base of a perpendicular mountain, and was joined on 
the same evening, by a detachment of the 6th and 15th 
regiments, and a park of artillery, under colonel James 
Miller. On the 7th of June, generals Lewis and Boyd 
arrived at the encampment, and the former assumed the 
command. 

Intellio;ence had been immediately forwarded by gene- 

M 2 



138 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

ral Vincent, to sir James L. Yeo, then commanding the 
British fleet on lake Ontario, of the affair at Stony Creek, 
and of the position at which the Americans had encamp- 
ed. In the evening of the 7th, the fleet appeared within 
sight of the encampment. Its character was not known, 
however ; but, lest an attack might be again made upon 
the army in the night, the troops were ordered to lay on 
their arms. At daylight, on the 8th, the enemy's vessels 
were stationed abreast of the encampment, and within 
one mile of the shore. A large schooner was warped in, 
and opened her fire on the boats which had been em- 
ployed to transport the American baggage, and which at 
that time lay upon the beach. Captains Archer and Tow- 
son, were ordered down, with four pieces of artillery, to 
resist her attempts to destroy the boats; and captain Tot- 
ten, of the engineers, prepared a temporary furnace, for 
heating shot, and had it in operation in less than half an 
hour. The fire of the schooner was then returned with 
such vivacity and effect, that she was very soon obliged 
to retire. At this moment, a party of Indians showed 
themselves upon the brow of the mountain, and com- 
menced a fire on the camp. General Lewis despatched 
a party from the 13th regiment, under colonel Christie, 
to dislodge them, but that service was performed by his 
adjutant, lieutenant Eldridge, who, seeing tJie necessity of 
driving off the Indians, had gallantly gained the summit 
of the mountain with a few volunteers, without orders, 
and repulsed the enemy before colonel Christie could 
reach tnat point. Sir James then demanded the surrender 
jof the army, on the ground of its having a fleet in its 
front, a body of savages in its rear, and a powerful army 
of British regulars on its flanks. To this demand it was 
deemed Unnecessary to make a reply; but as general 
Dearborn had sent an express to recal the troops to fort 
Georg;e, upon seeing the British fleet pass that post, gene- 
ral Lewis prepared to retire, in obedience to this order. 
The camp equipage and baggage were placed in the 
boats, and were ordered to proceed to fort George, under 
protection of colonel Miller's command, which was com- 
petent to resist any attack which might be made' — but 
they put from the shore before the detachment came up; 
and after proceeding about 5 miles, were dispersed by an 
armed schooner of the ^enemy. 12 of th^ fell into the 



OF THE LATE WAR. 139 

hands of the British squadron, and the remainder either 
escaped, or ran ashore, and were deserted by their crews. 
At 10 o'clock the encampment was broken up, and the 
troops took up their march for fort George, having the 
enemy's Indians Qn their flank until they arrived within 
a short distance of the garrison. 

The British fleet continued to cruise in the neighbour- 
hood of the Niagara, and intercepted the supplies for the 
American army. Two vessels, having each a valuable 
cargo of hospital stores, were chased into 18 Mile Creek, 
and after making a short, but obstinate resistance, were 
carried by boarding, and the stores immediately transfer- 
red to the enemy's vessels. A party of 75 men had been 
forwarded by general Lewis, to repel the enemy's attack, 
but did not reach the place in time to prevent the cap- 
ture. 

The official account given by general Vincent, of the 
surprise of the encampn\ent, claims a decisive and bril- 
liant victory on the side of the British; and announces 
that the whole body of the American troops had been re- 
solutely driven from the field ; but the same general was 
known to have abandoned the command of the enter- 
prise, as soon as the alarm was given in general Chand- 
lei;*s encampment, and to have consigned its execution 
to lieutenant colonel Harvey, * and majors Ogilvie and 
Plenderleath, each of whom acknowleaged a numerous 
loss of their most valuable officers and men. General 
Vincent's report to his government, could not, therefore, 
have been given on his own responsibility. On whatever 
side the victory may have been gained, however, great 
want of knowledge, in military movements, had been 
previously betrayed, by the officers who succeeded to 
the command of the American forces at Little York and 
fort George, in suffering a beaten enemy to escape from 
each of those places. At the former, general Sheaff'e and 
his regulars eff*ected a retreat, through the palpable tardi- 
ness of the victorious army. At the latter, the same 
troops which attacked the encampment at Stony Creek, 
were so closely pressed, that they must inevitably have 
been captured, had not the light troops, under adjutant 
general Scott and colonel Miller, been called in from the 
pursuit. The result of these errors was fruitful with the 
most evil consequences. The re-capture of all the im- 



140 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

portant posts on the British Niagara, which had been 
taken at the expense of so much blood, and the destruc- 
tion of the garrisons on the American side of that river, 
vviiich happened not many months after, were among the 
least pernicious of a- long train of disasters. A develop- 
ment which can only be produced by a gradual lapse of 
time, may enable the future historian to expose the mis- 
taken policy upon which the deplorable causes were found- 
ed. No discovery has yet been made, from which the pre- 
sent recorder of these events can form any other idea, than 
that which is founded on uncertainty and conjecture; and 
these do not go to the constitution of such ah authentic his- 
tory of the war, as it has been his utmost endeavour to 
compile. 

Whilst the troops were preparing to embark at York, 
for the expedition against fort George, the British at King- 
ston, having gained intelligence of their absence from 
Sacket's Harbour; of the batteries at that place having 
been principally dismantled ; and of the smallness of the 
force which had been left for its protection ; hastily col- 
lected all their disposables, and embarked on board their 
fleet, under the command of sir George Prevost : the fleet 
itself being commanded by sir James Yeo. On the night 
of the 27th of May, five hours after the capture of fort 
George, the British appeared off" the entrance to the har- 
bour. The American force consisted of 200 invalids, 
and 250 dragoons, then newly arrived, from a long and 
fatiguing march. Two small vessels, under lieutenant 
Chauncey, were stationed at its mouth, and gave instant 
signals of alarm, at the approach of the British squadron. 
Expresses were immediately forwarded to general Brown, 
then at his seat, 8 miles from the harbour, and he imme- 
diately repaired thither to take the command. 

The tour of duty of the militia of his brigade, had ex- 
pired many weeks before, but he had been requested by 
general Dearborn, to take command of the harbour, at 
any time when the enemy should approach it, and to pro- 
vide for its defence. Immediately on his arrival, dispo- 
sitions were made to that effect. The movements of the 
enemy indicated his intention to land on the peninsula, 
called Horse Island. General Bi own therefore determin- 
ed on resisting him at the water's edge, with the Albany 
volunteers, under colonel Mills, and such militia as could 



OF THE lATE WAR; 141 

be instantly collected. Alarm guns were therefore fired, 
and expresses sent out for that purpose. Lieutenant co- 
lonel Backus, of the first regiment of United States dra- 
goons, who commanded at Sacket's Harbour in the ab- 
sence of the officers who had proceeded to fort George, 
was to form a second line, with the regulars. The re- 
gular artillerists were stationed in fort Tompkins, and 
the defence of Navy Point was committed to lieutenant 
Chauncey. 

On the 28th, the Wolfe, the Royal George, the Prince 
Regent, the Earl Moira, and 1 brig, 2 schooners, and 2 
gun boats, with 33 flat bottomed boats and barges, con- 
taining in all 1200 troops, appeared in the offing, at five 
miles distance. They were standing their course for the 
harbour, when, having discovered a fleet of American 
barges, coming round Stony Point, with troops from Os- 
wego, the whole of their boats were immediately de- 
spatched to cut them off. They succeeded in taking 12 
of them, after they had been run on shore and abandoned 
by their crews, who arrived at the harbour in tlie night. 
The I'emainder, seven in number, escaped from their pur- 
suei-s, and got safely in. The British commanders, being 
then under an impression that other barges would be 
sailing from Oswego, stood into South Bay, and despatcli- 
ed their armed boats to waylay them. In this they were 
disappointed; and during the delay which was caused by 
this interruption of their intended operations, the militia 
from the neighbouring counties collected at the harbour, 
and betrayed great eagerness to engage in the contest 
with the invading enemy. They were ordered to be sta- 
tioned on the water side, near the island on which colo- 
nel Mills was posted with his volunteers. The strength 
at that point was nearly 500 men. But the whole force, 
including the regulars, effectives and invalids, did not 
exceed 1000. The plan of defence had been conceived 
with great skill, and if the conduct of the militia had 
proved to be consistent with their promises, it would 
have been executed with equal ability. Disposed of as 
the forces were, in the event of general Brown's being 
driven from his position at Horse Island, colonel Backus 
was to advance, with his reserve of regulars, and meet 
the head of the enemy's column, whilst the general would 
rally his corps, and fall upon the British flanks. If re- 



-142 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

sistance to the attack of the enemy should still fail, lieu- 
tenant Chauncey was to destroy the stores at Navy 
Point, and to retire with his two schooners, and the 
prize schooner, the Duke of Gloucester, which had been 
a few weeks before captured from the enemy, to the 
south shore of the bay, and east of fort Volunteer. In 
this fort the regulars and militia were to shut them- 
selves up, and make a vigorous stand, as their only re- 
maining resort. Every thing being thus ordered, gene- 
ral Brown directed his defensive army to lay upon their 
arms, whilst he continued personally to reconnoitre the 
shores of the harbour during the whole night of the 28th. 
At the only favourable point of landing, he had caused 
a breastwork to be thrown up, and a battery en barbette, 
to be erected. Behind this most of the militia were sta- 
tioned. 

At the dawn of the 29th, the enemy was discovered 
with his vessels drawn up in line, between Horse Island 
and Stony Point; and in a few minutes, all his boats and 
barges approached the shore, under cover of his gun boats, 
those being the heaviest of his vessels, which, in conse- 
quence of the lightness of the winds, could be brought 
up. The troops with which the boats were filled, were 
commanded by sir George Prevost in person. Commo- 
dore Yeo directed the movements of the barges. Ge- 
neral Brown instantly issued his orders, that the troops 
should lay close, and reserve their fire until the enemy 
should have approached so near, that every shot might 
take effect. This order was executed, and the flre was 
so destructive, that the enemy's advance boats were 
obliged to make a temporary pause, and numbers of their 
officers and men were seen to fall. Encouraged by the 
desired effect of the fij'st fire, the militia loaded their 
pieces with the utmost quickness, and the artillery was 
ordered to be opened at the moment of their second. But, 
before the second round had been completely discharged, 
the whole body of the militia, none of whom had ever 
seen an enemy until now, and who were entirely unac- 
customed to subordination, though they were well pro- 
tected by the breastwork, rose from beliind it, and aban- 
doning those honourable promises, which they had made 
but a little while before, they fled with equal precipitation 
and disorder. A strange and unaccountable panic sei7,ed 



OF THE LATE WAR. 145 

the whole line; and with the exception of a very few, ter- 
ror and dismay were depicted on every countenance. Co- 
lonel Mills, vainly endeavouring to rally his men, was 
killed, as he was reminding them of the solemn pledges 
which they had given; but the fall of this brave officer 
served rather to increase their confusion, than to actuate 
them to avenge it. 

General Brown seeing that his plan was already frus-' 
trated, and fearing his inability to execute any other, 
without the vigorous co-operation of the militia, hasten- 
ed to intercept their retreat; and finding one company 
of about 100 men, who had been rallied by the active 
and zealous conduct of captain M'Nitt, of that corps, he 
brought them up, and ordered them to form in line with 
the regulars and volunteers, who had continued to keep 
their ground. 

In the interval, which had thus elapsed, the enemy had 
eft'ected his debarkation, with little opposition ; and draw- 
ing up his whole force on Horse Island, commenced his 
march for the village ; on the road to which, he was met 
by a small party of infantry, under major Aspinwall, and 
a few dismounted dragoons, under major Laval, who op- 
posed him with much gallantry, Two of the gun boats 
ranged up flie shore, and covered the field with grape. 
This handful of troops then gradually retired in good or- 
der, from an immense superiority of numbers, and occu- 
pied the intervals between the barracks. 

Lieutenant colonel Backus, with his reserve of regu-^ 
lars, first engaged the enemy, when the militia company 
of captain M'Nitt was formed on his flank ; and in the vi- 
gorous tight whicli then followed, this company behaved 
with as much gallantry as the bravest of the regulars. 
The whole force was compelled to fall back, however, by 
the superior strength of the enemy's column, and resort- 
ing to the barracks for what shelter they could afford, 
they posted themselves in the unprotected log houses, and 
kept up an incessant and effective fire. From these, the 
most violent assaults, and the repeated and varying efforts 
of the British, were incompetent to dislodge them. Co- 
lonel Gray, the quarter master general of the enemy's 
forces, advanced to the weakest part of the barracks, at 
the head of a column of regulars, and after exchanging 
shots with an inferior party of militia and regulars, led 



144 HISTOillCAIi SKETCHES 

his men on to the assault. A small boy, who was a 
drummer in major Aspinwall's corps, seized a musket, 
and levelling it at the colonel, immediately brought him 
to the ground. At that moment, lieutenant Fanning, of 
the artdlery, who had been so severely wounded by the 
explosion at Little York, and was yet considered to be 
unable to do any kind of duty, leaned uj3on liis piece 
whilst it was drawn up, and having given it the proper 
elevation, discharged three rounds of grape into the faces 
of the enemy, who immediately fell back in disorder.-r- 
At this instant, lieutenant colonel Backus fell, severely 
wounded. 

Whilst the battle was raging with its greatest violence, 
information was brought to lieutenant Chauncey, of the 
intention of the American forces to surrender. He there- 
fore, in conformity to his previous orders, relating to such 
an event, fired the navy barracks, and destroyed all the 
property and public stores, which had previously belong- 
ed to the harbour, as well as the provisions and equip- 
ments which had been brought from York. The destruc- 
tion of these buildings, and the conflagration which was 
thence produced, was thought to have been caused by 
the troops of the enemy ; and although the undisciplined 
militia and volunteers, and the invalid regulars, were sus- 
picious of being placed between the fire of two divisions 
of the British, they continued to fight on, regardless of 
their inferiority, or the consequences of their capture. 

General Brown was all this time actively superintend* 
ihg the operations of his little army. He now determined 
on making a diversion in its favour, which, if it should be 
successful, would be the only means of saving the place, 
or of relieving his exhausted troops. Having learned 
that the militia, who had fled from tlieir stations in the 
early part of the engagement, had not yet entirely dis- 
persed, and that they were still within a short distance 
of the scene of action, he hastened to exhort them to 
imitate the conduct of their brave brethren in arms. He 
reproached them with shameful timidity, and ordered 
them instantly to form and follow him, and threatened 
with instant death, the first man who should refuse. — 
His order was obeyed with alacrity. He then attempted 
a stratagem, by which to deceive the enemy, with re- 
gard to the forces against which he was contending. — 



OF THE LATE WAR. 145 

Silently passing through a distant wood, which led toward 
the place at wliich the enemy had landed, general Brown 
persuaded the British general of his intention to gain the 
rear of his forces, to take possession of the boats, and 
eftectually to cut off* their retreat. 

This was done with such effect, at the moment when 
the fire of lieutenant Fanning-'s piece had caused the de- 
struction in tiie British line, that general sir George Pre- 
vost was well convinced of the vast superiority of the 
American force to his own. He gave up all thoughts of 
the capture of the place, and hurrying to his boats, put 
off" immediately to the British squadron. He was not pur- 
sued, because, if the real number of the American troops 
had been exposed to his view, he would have returned to 
the contest, might easily have outflanked, and in all hu- 
man probability, would still have captured the army and 
the village. 

But the precipitation of his flight was such, that he left 
not only the wounded bodies of his ordinary men upon 
the field, but those of the dead and wounded of the most 
distinguished of his officers. Among these were quarter 
master general Gray, majors Moodie and Evans, and three 
captains. The return of his loss, as accurately as it has 
been ascertained, amounted to 3 field officers, 1 captain, 
and 25 rank and fiJe, found dead on the .field ; 2 captains, 
and 20 rank and file found wounded ; and 2 captains, 1 
ensi.a;n, and 32 rank and file made prisoners. In addi- 
tion to which, many were killed in the boats, and num- 
bers had been carried aM^ay previously to the retreat. The 
loss of the Americans was greater, in proportion as the 
number of their men engaged were less. One colonel of 
volunteers, 20 regulars, privates, and 1 volunteer private, 
were killed; 1 lieutenant colonel, 3 lieutenants, and 1 
ensign of the regulars, and 79 non-commissioned officers 
and privates wounded ; and 26 non-commissioned officers 
and privates missing. Their aggregate loss was 110 re- 
gulars, 21 volunteers, and 25 militia; making a total qF 
156. It was severe, because of the worth, more than of 
the number of those who fell. The injury in public stores,^ 
sustained at Sacket's Harbour, though not by any act of 
the invading enemy, was extensive ; but the gallantry of 
several individuals prevented its being more so. Lieute- 

N 



146 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

nant Chauncey was no sooner apprised of the error of the. 
report wliich had been brought to him, than he made every 
exertion to save as much of the public property as it was 
possible to rescue from the increasing conflagration, and 
to that effect, he ran the Fair American and the Pert up 
the river. The new frigate, the general Pike, which was 
then on the stocks, was saved ; and lieutenant Talman, of 
the army, at the imminent risk of his life, boarded the 
prize schooner the Duke of Gloucester, which was then 
on fire, with a considerable quantity of powder in her 
hold, extinguished the fire, and brought her from under 
the flames of the storehouses. 

Notwithstanding this signal repulse, the British com- 
manding officers attempted to play off" a stratagem, which 
sir James Yeo afterwards adopted at the Forty Mile Creek, 
They sent in a flag, with a peremptory demand for the 
formal surrender of the post, which was as peremptorily 
refused. After a forced march of 40 miles in one day, 
lieutenant colonel Tuttle had arrived with his command 
of about 600 men, just as the British were retreating to 
their boats, and was therefore too late to participate in 
the action. Other reinforcements were continually ex- 
pected, and the harbour would be in a situation to make 
a more vigorous, though not, perhaps, a more brilliant 
defence. The ^turn of the enemy, even under the ad- 
vantao:es of more favourable winds, was, therefore, not 
looked for with any apprehension. A second flag was re- 
ceived by general Brown, accompanied by a request, that 
the killed and wounded of the British, might be treated 
with respect. In answer to this, the most satisfactory 
assurances of compliance were given. 

After being compelled to relinquish the further prose- 
cution of an expedition, having for its primary object the 
capture and destruction of a post, the permanent posses- 
sion of which only, could give to the Americans any hope 
of a superiority on the lake Ontario ; after having suc- 
ceeded in his enterpise, in a degree which scarcely de- 
serves to be termed partial; and after being obliged, by 
the predominance of his apprehension over his bravery 
and foresight, to retire from the assault, and precipitately 
to leave his dead and wounded to the mercy of his ene- 
my; general sir George Prevost issued an official account 
^.0 the fw^ople of Canada, and forwarded despatches to 



6i THE LATE WAK. 14 T 

his government, in each of which he laid chiiin to a bril- 
liant and unparalleled victory; and alleged, that he had 
reluctantly ordered his troops to leave a beaten enemy, 
whom he had driven before him for three hours, because 
the co-operation of the fleet and army could not be ef- 
fected. G'eneral Brown's stratagem had so fiir succeed- 
ed in deceiving him, that he reported the woods to have 
been fdled with infantry and field pieces, from which an 
incessant, heavy and destructive fire had been kept up, 
by a numerous and almost invisible foe ; more than quad- 
ruple in numbers to the detachments which had beeg taken 
from the garrison of Kino;ston ; and that his loss was ne- 
vertheless very far inferior to that of his antagonist. Pri- 
vate letters, however, which were, about the same time, 
written from officers of these detachments, after relating 
that colonel Gray and two other officers had been killed, 
and that majors Evans, Drummond, and Moodie, and se- 
veral captains and subalterns had been wounded, admit- 
ted that their total loss amounted to upwards of 150. 

Had the result of the expedition against Sacket's Har- 
bour, been of that character of unparalleled brilliancy, 
which would have entitled it to the encomiums of its 
commander, and to the warmest admiration of the Brit- 
ish nation, its effects would have been long and deplo- 
rably felt by the American government. Immense quan- 
tities of naval and military stores, which had been from 
time to time collected at that depot; the frames and tim- 
bers which had been prepared for the construction of ves- 
sels of war, and the rigging and armaments which had 
been forwarded thither for their final equipment; as well 
as all the army clothing, camp equipage, provisions, am- 
munition, and implements of war, which had been pre- 
viously ca^itured from the enemy, would have fallen into 
his hands. The destruction of the batteries, the siiip then 
on the stocks, the extensive cantonments, and the public 
arsenal, would have retarded the building of another naval 
force, and that which was already on the lake in separate 
detachments, could have been intercepted, in its attempt 
to return, and might have been captured in detail. The 
prize vessel which was then laying in the harbour, and 
which had been taken by the Americans, and the two 
United States' schooners, would have been certainly re- 
captured, and the whole energies of the American gov- 



148 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

eminent, added to their most vigorous and unwearied 
struggles, might never again have attained any prospect 
of an ascendency on the lake. As it proved, however, all 
these impending evils were averted, and the wisdom of 
the commanding officer, and the invincible firmness of 
those of his troops, who withstood the brunt orthe action, 
converted that event into a splendid victory, which would 
otherwise have been an irretrievable disaster. 



CHAPTER X. 



General Dearborn retires from the command of the North- 
ern army — Command of Fort George devolves on ge- 
neral Boyd — Capture of the Lady Murray — Destruc- 
tion of Sodiis — »ittempt to land at Osivego— Affair at 
Beaver Dams — Escape of the militia, prisoners from 
the head of the lalce---J\Iassacre of lieutenant Eldridge 
— Affair between the British Indians and young Corn- 
planter — British again attack Black Rock — Capture 
of an enemy's gun boat — Fort George invested — Ame- 
rican outposts attacked — Second expedition to York — 
British capture the Growler and Eagle — Enter Cham- 
plain village^ and destroy the private houses — Chase 
of the British fleet on Lake Ontario' — Encampment at 
Fort George, ajid re-possession of JsTewark by the ene- 
my — He retires to his entrenchmefits — Capture of a 
British officer, by an American sentinel. 

The increasing indisposition of general Dearborn 
having rendered him unfit for active duty, he resigned 
i!ie command of the northern army, and retired to his re- 
sidence. General Lewis had repaired to Sacket's Har- 
bour, to act in concert with commodore Chauncey, who 
had returned to that place, and was making active pre- 
parations to restore the batteries and buildings to their 
former condition. The command of fort George, and the 
dependencies of that place and fort Niagara, devolved on 
general Boyd, 



OF THE LATE WAR. 149 

On the 14th of June (18 IS), lieutenant Chauncey was 
ordered to proceed in the Lady of the Lake, to cruise off 
Presque-isle, and to intercept the enemy's transport ves- 
sels. On the I6th, he fell in with and captured the Brit- 
ish schooner the Lady Murray, then bound from Kingston 
to York, with an English ensign, and 15 non-commission- 
ed officers and privates. She was loaded with provisions, 
powder, shot, and fixed ammunition, and was brought 
into Sacket's Harbour on the 18th. Her crew consisted 
of 6 men. 

On the same day, the British fleet appeared before the 
town of Sodus, on a bay of that name, which is formed 
on the American side of lake Ontario, between Gennes- 
see and Oswego rivers. General Burnet of the New 
York militia, suspecting that they intended to land their 
troops, and capture a qua'i^ityof provisions, ordered out 
a regiment from the county of Ontario. The militia col- 
lected in great haste, and arrived at Sodus on the follow- 
ing morning. But the enemy, well knowing that his ap- 
pearance would excite the alarm of the inhabitants, drew 
off his forces until their apprehensions should be subsided, 
and re-appeared on the evening of the 19th, a few hours 
after the militia had been discharged. In contemplation 
of his return, the inhabitants had removed all the public 
stores from the buildings on the water's edge, to a small 
distance in the woods, and on the re-appearance of the 
hostile squadron, a second alarm was immediately given, 
and expresses sent after the discharged militia, which 
overtook and brought them back, with a large reinforce- 
ment. Before their return, the enemy had landed, and 
finding that the provisions had been removed, they set 
fire to all the valuable buildings in the town, and destroy- 
ed most of the private property of every description. — ■ 
They then agreed to stipulate with the inhabitants, to de- 
list from destroying the remaining houses, on condition 
of their surrendering the flour and provisions, which they 
knew had been deposited at that place. These articles 
were then not more than 200 yards from the village, yet 
the enemy did not choose to attempt their capture, lest 
he might be drawn into an ambuscade; but he threaten- 
ed the entire destruction of every house in the town, if 
they were not immediately delivered over to him. The 
appearance of the militia, prevented the execution of 

N2 



150 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

this threat, and the enemy immediately returned to his 
shipping, and moved up the lake on the following morn- 
ing. 

On the 20th (June), the whole fleet approached Os- 
wego, and made several attempts to land their troops, but 
fhey returned each time to their shipping, upon seeing 
that the troops at that place were prepared to meet them. 
The American force at that time, consisted of 800 militia, 
and a small party of regulars, under command of lieu- 
tenant colonel Carr, by whose skilful management, the 
enemy were persuaded that the post was garrisoned by 
a numerous body of troops, and they became extremely 
cautious in their operations. Fearful of being overpow- 
ered, they relinquished their intention of landing, and 
withdrew from before the place. Lieutenant Woolsey, 
of the Oneida, and other nav^l officers and seamen, were 
at Oswego, and had previously removed the stores from 
that place to Sacket's Harbour. The fleet then proceed- 
ed to the neighbourhood of fort George, where it lay for 
several days. 

A few days previously to the departure of general 
Dearborn from that post, a body of the eneny had col- 
lected on a high ground, about eight miles from Queens- 
town, for the purpose of procuring supplies, and of ha- 
rassing those inhabitants who were considered to be 
friendly to the United States. On the 28th, a party of 
troops, consisting of 500 infantry, a squadron of dragoons, 
a company of New York mounted volunteers, and cap- 
tain M'Dowell's corps of light artillery, being in all about 
600 men, under command of colonel Bcerstler, w^ere de- 
tached from the American encampment, at fort George, 
for the purpose of cutting off the supplies of the enemy, 
and of breaking up their encampment at the Beaver 
Dams. The British force which was stationed there, 
was composed of one company of the 104th regiment, 
about 200 militia, and 60 Indians, amounting to 340 men. 
At about 8 o'clock on the morning of the 24th, 9 miles 
west of Queenstown, the American detachment was at- 
tacked from an ambuscade. The action commenced 
with the dragoons, who were placed in the rear. Cap- 
tains Machesney and Roach's companies of infantry, 
were instantly brought into a position to return the ene- 
my's lire to advantage, and very soon after drove them 



OF THE LATE ^VAR. 151 

a considerable distance into the woods. The Indians then 
made a ciicuitous^ route, appeared in front, and opened a 
tire upon the mounted riflemen who were stationed there. 
They were immediately repulsed, and again rctire#to the 
woods. Every attempt was then made to draw them into 
the open ground, but without eftect, A few of the boldest 
of them, ventured from their lurking places, but were im- 
mediatelv compelled to iiy to them again for shelter. The 
enemy's force was now continually augmenting, and he 
was every instant gaining a superiority. A retreat was 
then ordered for a short distance, which was effected with 
trifling loss. 

Colonel Bfsrstler, then suspecting that he was sur- 
rounded by a very superior and numerous force, despatch- 
ed an express to general Dearborn for reinforcements, 
and informed him of his intention to maintain his posi- 
tion until they should arrive. Colonel Christie was or- 
dered to proceed immediately with the 15th regiment, 
and a company of artillery, to the support of colonel 
Beers tier ; but he had not proceeded farther than Queens - 
town, when he was iniormed that the latter had surren- 
dered his detachment. 

The express had scarcely been forwarded, when lieu- 
tenaiit Fitzgibbon, who commanded the British militia 
and Indians, rode up to colonel Boerstler, with a flag, and 
informed him, on the honour of a British soldier, that the 
regular force, commanded by lieutenant colonel Bishop, 
was double that of the Americans, and that the Indians 
were at least 700 in number. Colonel Bcerstler, trusting 
to the veracity of the officer ; fearing the impracticability 
of escaping; and being unwilling to abandon his wound- 
ed, agreed to terras of capitulation, by which the wounded 
were to be treated with the utmost tenderness, the offi- 
cers to be permitted to wear their side arms, private pro- 
perty to be respected, and the volunteers to be paroled, 
and "permitted to return to their homes. 

Lieutenant colonel Bishop was not on the ground at 
the time when this capitulation was effected, as the Bri- 
tish lieutenant had asserted on his honour, but arrived 
there in time to confirm the articles of surrender. These 
were no sooner agreed upon, than they were violated; the 
officers being deprived of their side arms for the gratifi- 
cation of the Indians, who robbed them also of their coats. 



152 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

and whatever ornaments of dress they coveted. No pos- 
sible account of the number of killed or wounded, on 
either side could be obtained. Colonel Bcerstler was 
slightly* wounded, and captain M'Chesney, of the 6th, se- 
verely, in repelling the attack of the Indians. 

Colonel Christie returned to fort George, with informa- 
tion of this disaster, and the British moved down upon 
Queenstown, occupied that place and its neighbourhood, 
and in a few days afterwards invested the American 
camp, having been previously joined by all their forces 
from the head of the lake. 

General Vincent was stationed at Burlington Heights, 
with a small force, and general De Rottenburg lay en- 
camped at the Ten Mile Creek. 

The New York mounted volunteers were detained at 
the head of the lake, in violation of the article which pro- 
vided for their parole. On the 12th (July), they were ordered 
to Kingston, to be kept there as prisoners of war. They 
were for this purpose embarked in two boats, under a 
guard of men, and a lieutenant. When within 12 miles 
of York, they rose upon the guard, and after a struggle of 
a few minutes, carried both boats, and shaped their course 
for fort Niagara. After rowing nearly all night, and es- 
caping from an enemy's schooner with great difficulty, 
they arrived safely with their prisoners. In effecting this 
daring escape, major Chapin, who commanded the volun- 
teers, gave the signal to his men, by knocking down the 
British lieutenant, and personally encountering two of his 
soldiers, whom he fortunately subdued, and kept in re- 
straint until the second boat lay along side of him. 

Subsequently to the event at Beaver Dams, several af- 
fairs of outposts took place, which, though not quite so im- 
portant in their •consequences, were equally as brilliant as 
any of th ? occurrences, which had previously transpired on 
the Niagara frontier. Among them was a severe skirmish, 
brought on by an attack which had been made upon two of 
the outposts of the American encampment at fort George, 
on the 8th of July, by the combined force of the British 
and Indians. It had no sooner commenced, than adjutant 
lieutenant Eld ridge of the 13th, was ordered to the sup- 
port of the outposts, with a small detachment of 39 men: 
whilst a larger body was preparing to follow him, under 
the command of major Malcolm. The impetuosity of 



OF THE LATE WAR. 153 

lieutenant Eldridge led him into a thick wood, where a 
superior. force of the British and Indians lay in ambush, 
and after an obstinate, but fruitless struggle, his party 
were entirely defeated, five only out of the whole number 
escaping: thirteen were killed or wounded, and the re- 
mainder taken prisoners. At the first omjA, the enemy 
was repulsed; but at the second, he pressed upon ancl 
surrounded tlie little party, with the whole of his nume- 
rous force. All the prisoners, including the wounded, 
were then inhumanly murdered, and their persons treat- 
ed in so barbarous a manner, that the most temperate re- 
cital of the enemy's conduct may, perhaps, scarcely ob- 
tain belief. The feelings of the most obdurate reader, of 
a much more distant period, cannot but be excited to the 
highest degree of indignation, and those of the writer are 
not at all to be envied, when necessity obliges him to de- 
scribe the sufterings of his countrymen, by the relation of 
facts which stand too well authenticated before him. The 
same enemy who had not long ago implored the mercy 
of the American officer to be extended to his Britislfi 
prisoners, now fell upon the defenceless captives of this 
party, and scalped their heads whilst they were yet alive, 
split open their skulls Vv^ith their tomhawks, tore their 
hearts out of their bodies, and stabbed and otherwise mu- 
tilated them. Lieutenant Eldridge was supposed to have 
experienced the same treatment. The inhabitants of the 
neighbourhood, having informed the garrison that he had 
been led wounded into the woods, between two Indians, 
a flag was sent out on the next day, to ascertain his fate ; 
which soon after returned, with an answer, that lieute- 
nant Eldridge, having killed one of the Indian chieftains, 
the warriors of his tribe had retaliated this supposed act 
of treachery, by putting him to instant death. But this 
reply was ascertained to have been a subterfuge of the 
enemy, to evade the necessity of accounting for a pri- 
soner, who was known to have been taken alive. 

The commission of this, and other outrages of the same 
nature, by the enemy, at length induced the American 
commander, general Boyd, to receive a party of the Se- 
neca and Tuscarora tribes into the service of the United 
States, by way of intimidating the British and Indians, 
and of preventing a recurrence of their barbarities. Short- 
ly after they had rendezvoused at fort George, and had 



154 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

covenanted not to scalp or murder any of the enemy's pri- 
soners who might fall into their hands, they were joined 
to a party of volunteers, and sent to cut otf one of the out- 
posts of the enemy, whose principal encampment was up- 
wards of tv^o miles from the fort. The American Indians 
were commanded by major Henry O'Ball, or Young Corn- 
planter, who succeeded in capturing and bringing in 12 
of the British Indians, and 4 of their white troops, with a 
loss of only 2 Indians killed. 

The army at fort George was at this time in a state of 
inactivity; a war of outposts only being carried on, which, 
though resulting in various success, was of use to the un- 
disciplined divisions of the encampment. 

On the mornino; of the 11th July, a British regular 
force crossed the Niagara below Black Rock, and moved 
up with great rapidity, to the attack of that post. The 
militia who were stationed there, immediately fled in con- 
siderable numbers; a few of them, however, stood their 
ground, and immerging from a wood, at seventy yards 
distance from the enemy, annoyed him very severely.— 
But this annoyance was not regarded by the British, who 
entered the place, set fire to the barracks, the block 
house and other buildings, spiked several pieces of can- 
non, and took off a quantity of provisions. Whilst car- 
rying the property to their boats, they were attacked 
by a force of regulars, militia, and a few Indians, who 
poured upon them a very destructive fire. The enemy's 
force amounted to 250 men, nine of whom, and a captain 
(Saunders) of the 41st, were left upon the shore The 
force which was brought against them, was precisely 
equal to their own. They retired partially to their boats, 
and in putting oiF from the shore, lost upwards of 50 in 
killed and wounded. Among the latter, was lieutenant 
colonel Bishop, mortally. 

On the irth a small expedition of volunteers, and about 
40 soldiers, left fort George in two small row boats, pro- 
ceeded to the head of the St, Lawrence, and captured a 
gun boat mounting one 24 pounder, 14 batteaux loaded 
with property, and 4 officers and 61 mtn. 

On the same day an outwork of the American garrison, 
was attacked by 200 British and some Indians. Colonel 
Scott was sent out to oppose them. He took one field- 
piece into an open field, and assisted by lieutenant Smith, 



OF THE LATE WAR. 155 

after a contest of one hour, succeeded in driving off the 
enemy. Majors Armstrong, Cuminings, captains Tow- 
son, ^ladison, Vandalsem, and Birdsall, the former of 
wliom was wounded, were also actively engaged. The 
American loss amounted to four killed, and as many 
wounded. 

Besides the militia, under major Chapin, who had been 
captured at the Beaver Dams, several parties of regulars, 
made prisoners at the same place, also effected their es- 
cape, in consequence of the refusal of the enemy to pa- 
role them. On the 2rth, a large boat arrived at fort 
George, with 1 lieutenant and 8 Canadian militia, who 
had been taken by 3 United States regulars and 5 New 
York militiamen, as the former were conducting them to 
Kingston. About the same time, a boat with 14 of colo- 
nel Boerstler's men, and 2 of the enemy, arrived from 
York. They communicated intelligence of the severe 
treatment Which the American prisoners experienced 
there, and general Boyd and commodore Chauncey de- 
termined on an expedition to that place. 

On the 28th commodore Chauncey sailed with colonel 
Scott and about SCO men. They landed at York, cap- 
tured or destroyed the public property and stores of the 
enemy, and after burning the barracks, which had been 
spared at the capture of that place in April, under an im- 
pression that their liberality would be appreciated by the 
enemy, they re-embarked, and returned unmolested to fort 
George, bringing with them all the sick and wounded of 
colonel Bcerstler's men, whom they could find. 

A few weeks preceding this affair the United States 
armed vessels the Growler and Ea^le were captured, after 
a desperate engagement of three hours and an half, with 
a number of Biitish gun boats, and detachments from the 
garrison at Isle aux JVoLv. The action took place near 
Ash Island, on the river Sorelle, or Richelieu, or that part 
of lake Champlain which empties into the St, Lawrence. 
The schooners were commanded by lieut. Sidney Smith, 
and were the only firmed vessels, excepting a few gun 
boats, and small barges, which constituted the American 
naval force on lake Champlain. Their capture therefore, 
gave the enemy the entire ascendency on that lake. The 
British stated their loss at 3 men wounded. The loss on 
board the schooners was 1 killed and 8 wounded. 



156 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

Availing themselves of the advantages thus gained, the 
British equipped and refitted the captured \essels, and 
cruised along the shores of lake Champlain, committing 
every species of depredation upon the property of the in- 
habitants. On the 30th of July, they crossed the line at 
Champlain with two sloops of war, three gun boats, and 
forty batteaux, having on board a force of 1400 men. On 
the 31st they arrived, and landed at Plattsburg. The 
militia were immediately called out, but not more than 
300 collected; and there is no account of their having 
shown any kind of resistance to the invaders. The Bri- 
tish troops who were commanded by colonel Murray, as- 
sured the inhabitants of Plattsburg, that their private pro- 
perty should be respected. But after destroying the block 
house, the arsenal, the armory, the public hospital, and 
the military cantonment, they wantonly burned several 
private store houses, and carried off immense quantities 
of the stock of individuals. On the 1st of IVugust they 
embarked, and stood out of the bay; thence they pro- 
ceeded to the town of Swanton, in Vermont, landed a 
part of their force, and committed several outrages of the 
same character. 

The American and British fleets, now well appointed 
and equipped, were both on lake Ontario. Commodore 
Chauncey being within sight of fort George, and sir James 
Yeo sailing in that direction, on the 7th of August they 
came within siglit of each other. The British fleet con- 
sisted of six sail, the American of twelve, the majority 
of them being very small. Commodore Chauncey im- 
mediately weighed anclior, and mana?uvred to gain the 
wind. Having passed the leeward of the enemy's line, 
and being abreast of his van ship, the Wolfe, he fired a 
few guns to ascertain whether he could reach the hostile 
fleet. The shot falling short, the commodore wore, and 
hauled upon a wind on the starboard tack; the rear of 
trie schooners being then about six miles astern. The 
British commodore wore also, and hauled upon a wind 
on the same tack ; but observing that the American fleet 
would be able to weather him on the next, he tacked again 
and made all sail to the northward. Commodore Chaun- 
cey pursued him ; the chase continued until night. The 
schooners could not get up, and a signal was given to 
give up the pursuit, and to Form in close order. At mid» 



OF THE LATE WAll. 15/ 

uight 2 of the schooners were missing, (the Hamilton and 
Scourge) both of which had overset and sunk in a heavy 
squall: 16 men only escaped drowning. The fleet lost 
by this unfortunate accident, two excellent officers, lieu- 
tenant Winter and sailing master Osgood, a number of 
fine seamen, and 19 guns; and the enemy thence gained 
a great superiority. On the morning of the 8th, he was 
discovered bearing up with an intention of bringing the 
Americans to action. Commodore Chauncey then di- 
rected the schooners to sweep up and engage him. When 
the van was within one mile and a half of the enemy, he 
bore up for the schooners in order to cut tliem off; but 
in this he did not succeed. He then hauled his wind and 
hove too. A squall coming on, and commodore Chaun- 
cey being apprehensive of separating from the heavy sail- 
ing schooners, he ran the squadron in towards Niagara, 
and anchored outside the bai*. Here he received on board 
from fort George 150 soldiers, and distributed them 
through the fleet to act as marines. Before 12 o'clock 
on the morning of the 9th, the commodore discovered 
the enemy's fleet, and stood for him, and after manceuv- 
ring until 11 o'clock, at times pursuing him and being 
pursued by him, the rear of the line opened its fire on 
him. In 15 minutes the fire became general on both 
sides. At half past 11, the weather line bore up, and 
passed to the leeward, except the Growler and Julia., 
which soon after tacked to the southward, and brought 
the British between them and the remainder of the Ame- 
rican fleet, which then edged away to engage the enemy 
to more advantage, and to lead him from the Growler 
and Julia. Sir J. Yeo having separated the two vessels 
from tiie squadron, exchanged a few shot, in passing, 
with the General Pike, (Commodore Chauncey's ship) 
witiiout injuring her, and pursued the schooners. A 
firing commenced between them, and was continued un- 
til 1 o'clock on the morning of the lOtii, when the schoo- 
ners surrendered, and the fleets lost sight of .each other. 
Soon after daylight, they again became visible; but no 
disposition being shown by tlie enemy to come down on 
commodore Chauncey, he shortly after ran towards Sac- 
ket's Harbour, to provision the squadron, and arrived 
there on the 13 th. 





158 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

About this time sir George Prevost joined tlie ar- 
my, then investing fort George, and meditated an at- 
tack u}Don the American forces. Captain Fitzgerald of 
the 49th, assailed an outpost on the Niagara, and after 
gaining the rear of the guard, was fired on and charged 
by captain Davenport, of the 16th United States' infantry, 
who cut his way through Fitzgerald's party, rallied his 
own, and made prisoners of 10 men. At this moment 
captain Deleno, of the 23d, came up and captured Fitz- 
gerald, who was then wounded. The whole line of out- 
posts was at this instant attacked and driven in. Captain 
Vandalsem, of the 15th, who commanded the outpost 
upon Butler's road, was cut otf by the enemy ; but has- 
tily forming his small party, he desperately forced his 
way through a superior body, and brought his guard 
safely into the garrison. The British forces gained pos- 
session of the town of Newark, and skirted the woods op- 
posite fort George, within gun-shot of the American camp. 
Brigadier general Williams, who had a few days before 
arrived at that post, advanced from the works with his 
brigade, but after a trifling skirmish, he was ordered 
back by general Boyd, and the troops were directed to 
act only on the defensive. The British soon after re- 
tired to their intrenchments, then about 2 miles dis- 
tant. The loss of the garrison on this occasion, amount- 
ed to 30, in killed, wounded, and missing. The capture 
of captain Fitzgerald and his men was the only loss 
which the enemy is known to have sustained. 

Affairs of outposts, in which the character of the Ame- 
rican arms v/as not in the least diminished, were now oc- 
curring daily. Colonel Brearley, and other officers of the 
different regiments, distinguished themselves; and a spi- 
rit of emulation pervaded the whole American line. — Or- 
ders had been issued to the sentinels, to permit no one 
to pass within their chain, without the knowledge of tlie 
commanding officer. But a British officer, in passing 
from the left to the right of his encampment, having by 
mistake approached the American line, induced a senti- 
nel to violate these orders. Thomas Gray, a private of 
the 15th, who at this time happened to be on guard, seeing 
the error into which the enemy's officer was likely to fall, 
permitted him to enter the line of sentinels befoi-e he chal- 
lenged him, when the officer immediately surrendered. He 



OF THE LATE WAE. 159 

proved to be captain Gordon, of the Royal Scots, and was 
conducted to general Boyd, who afterwards presented the 
sentinel with a silver cup, engraved with inscriptions, 
commemorative of the event by which it had been won. — 
The American army sustained about this time a serious 
loss in the death of colonel Christie, at fort George, and 
of lieutenant colonel Tuttle, at Sacket's Harbour — both 
of whom died of severe illness. 



CHAPTER XL 



The JVbrthwestern Jlrmy-— British appear again before 
Fort Meigs — Defence of Fort Stephenson, Lower San- 
dusky — Capture of the British fleet on Lake Erie — 
%N*orthw ester n Jlrmy reinforced from Kentucky'— Is 
transported by the Jl^nerican fleet to Canada — Capture 
of Maiden — The Americans enter Sandwich — Pursue 
the British up La Tranche — Skirmish in Chatham — 
Batth of the Thames — Defeat and capture of general 
Froctor's Army — Escape of that officer — Death of Te- 
ctimseh — Desti'iiction of the town — The army sails for, 
and arrives at Buffaloe. 

The combination of the British forces on the Nia- 
gara; the augmentation which they were daily receiving 
by reinforcements from the interior of Upper Canada; 
and the rumours thence sent forth, of an intended coali- 
tion between these, and the army of general Proctor, from 
Detroit ; all contributed to persuade the American com- 
manders, that the enemy had become regardless of the 
defences of the garrisons of Detroit and Maiden; and 
that their leading object, for the accomplishment of which 
they had determined to draw together every species of 
troops within the province, was the expulsion of the Ame- 
rican forces from the Canadian territory. But the vigi- 
lance of the commander in chief of the northwestern 
army, enabled him not only to discover the enemy's real 
design, but that their regulars and a great body of the In- 



160 TIISTORICAIi SKETCHES 

ilians, were at that time concealed in the neighbourhood 
of forts Meigs and Stephenson, and feeling confident of 
their expectations that the regulars of his army would be 
ordered forward to the aid and co-operation of the army 
of the north; or, that the militia would be called from a 
lour of duty, which would thence be deemed unnecessary 
to perform ; general Harrison extended his defensive ar- 
rangements, and enlarged his forces by new requisitions 
upon the governors of the contiguous state and territory. 
He was still engaged at his head quarters at Seneca, in 
fixing the destination of the new troops, as they arrived, 
and in distributing them throughout the different posts. — 
Fort Meigs was placed in an excellent state for vigorous 
defence, and active exertions were making to fortify fort 
Stephenson. To the entire equipment of the latter, many 
difficulties presented themselves, and its situation was 
considered to be so defenceless, that general Harrison 
directed the commandant to destroy the public property, 
and immediately to abandon the fort, if the enemy should 
at any time appear before it. — During the month of July 
(1813), the assembled tribes of Indian warriors, under 
Tecumsphy (who was reported to have then received the 
commission and emoluments of a brio-adier general) and 
a considerable force of regulars, under genefal Proctor, 
had been well trained for an expedition, the object of 
which was to reduce fort Stephenson, and thence to pro- 
ceed to a second investment of fort Meigs. Tecumseh 
was despatched with 2000 warriors and a few regulars, 
to make a diversion favourable to the attack of Proctor 
and Dixon, upon fort Stephenson. He approached fort 
Meigs, and kept up a heavy firing at a distance, in order 
to persuade the garrison tluit an engagement had taken 
place between the Indian forces and a part of general Har- 
rison's division. By the arrival at fort Meigs, of an officer 
from the head quarters, this scheme was fortunately frus- 
trated; and Tecumseh then approached the garrison, and 
surrounded it with his whole force. 

From Seneca town scouting parties had been sent 
out in every direction, along the shores of Sandusky 
bay, witli instructions to keep up a continual commu- 
nication with the commander in chief. On tlie morning 
of tfie 1st of August, he was informed of the approach 
of the enemy to the mouth of the bay,; fort Stephen- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 161 

ison, situated twenty miles above, evidently being their 
object. Early in the evening, the combined forces, con- 
sisting of 700 Indians, under Dixon, and 500 regulars 
under general Proctor, who commanded in chief, appear- 
ed before the fort. The gun boats, from which they had 
landed, were at the same time drawn up, to bear upon one 
of its angles. General Proctor immediately disposed his 
troops so as to surround the garrison, and entirely to cut 
oft* its retreat. His immense superiority of numbers, en- 
abled him to invest it so perfectly, that the American 
troops, whose whole effective force did not amount to 
160 men, had no probable prospect of cutting their way 
through; and major Croghan, who had been promoted 
to the command of this post, for his gallant conduct at 
the siege of fort Meigs, having already disobeyed the 
orders of the commander in chief, by not destroying 
and abandoning the fort, had made arrangements to repel 
an assault, by cutting a deep ditch, and hastily construct- 
ing a stockade work around it. Being ably supported by 
his officers and men, he determined on defending the gar- 
rison, though he should sell the life of every soldier. The 
British general, having completed the disposition of his 
army, attempted to obtain possession of fort Stephenson 
by artifice. He sent forward a flag by colonel Elliot, 
whose character is yet in the memory of the reader, ac- 
companied by the same major Chambers, who had before 
demanded the surrender of fort Meigs, and an Indian 
chief, whose enmity to the Americans was violent. This 
flag was met at a few paces from the garrision, by ensign 
Shipp of the 17th, to whom general Proctor's demand, of 
an immediate and unconditional surrender, was delivered, 
and from whom the enemy received major Croghan's an- 
swer, of a determination not to yield, but with the loss 
of all his men. Colonel Elliot then attempted to seduce 
the ensign from his duty, by various artifices, which were 
followed by a threatened slaugliter of the garrison, on 
further refusal to surrender. The young American turned 
from his apostate countryman, Elliot, with disgust, and 
was immediately seized upon by the Indian chief, who 
attempted to disarm him. The resistance of the ensign, 
and the interference of Elliot and Chambers, prevented 
this outrage, and major Croghan being apprehensive about 
the safety of his officer, instantly ordered him to be called 

2 



162 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

into the garrison. The enemy then opened his fire from 
the gun boats, and a five and a half inch howitzer, and 
continued the cannonade throughout the night. On the 
morning of the 2d, three 6-pounders were discovered to 
have been planted at a distance of 250 yards from the 
stockade, and in a few minutes after, an unsuccessful 
fire was opened upon the fort. The British general feel- 
ing his inability to annoy the garrison, from tlie situation 
in which his artillery was then placed, and being con- 
vinced that he could neither make an impression upon 
the works, nor ever hope to carry them by storm, unless 
a breach could be made in the northwest angle of the fort, 
ordered all his guns to be directed at that point. A rapid 
fire was kept up against it for several hours; but major 
Croghan, being aware of his design, detached as many 
men as could be usefully employed, to strengthen that 
angle : by means of bags of sand, of flour, and other arti- 
cles, it was effectually secured. Under a supposition that 
his fire had sliattered the stockade work, which was not 
at all injured, general Proctor ordered lieutenant colonel 
Short to lead up a close column of 350 regulars, of the 
41st regiment, to storm the fort at that point, whilst a 
second column should make a feint upon that part of the 
American line, which was commanded by captain Hunter, 
of the 17th. This attempt to draw the attention of the 
garrison from the northwest angle did not succeed. The 
troops posted there were ordered to remain firm: and, 
when the column, which was advancing against them, had 
approached within 20 paces of the lines, before which 
time it was so completely enveloped in smoke as not to be 
observed, they opened a heavy and galling fire, threw the 
advancing party in confusion, and intimidated that which 
was reserved for the attack on the other angle of the fort. 
'l"he British battery, which was then enlarged by two other 
6-pounders, was again opened, and sustained the advance 
of the two columns, by an incessant, though equally un- 
successful fire as the former. Colonel Short rallying his 
men with great alacrity, again led them up, advanced to 
the stockade, and springing over the pickets into the 
ditch, commanded the whole column to follow, and assault 
the works with the utmost vigour, but to give no quarter 
to any of the American soldiers. 

At the northwe'stern angle stood a block-house, in 



OF THE LATE VfXU, J 65 

which a C-pounder had been heretofore judiciously con- 
cealed. It was at this instant opened, and having previ- 
ously been pointed so as to rake in that situation, a dou- 
ble charge of leaden slugs was fired into tlie ditch, and 
sweeping the whole column, the front of which was only 
thirty feet distant from the piece, killed colonel Short, and 
almost every man who had ventured to obey his order. 
A volley of musketry was fired at the same time, and 
great numbers of the enemy who had not yet ^entered 
the ditch, were severely wounded. The officer who suc- 
ceeded colonel Short in the comniand of the broken co- 
lumn, immediately rallied and formed it anew, and led it 
on to the same fatal point. A second fire from the de- 
structive 6-pounder, was poured upon it with as much 
success as the first ; and the small arms were discharged 
so briskly, that the enemy's troops were again thrown 
into confusion, and not all the exertions of the British 
officers could bring them up to anoth^- assault. They 
fled precipitately to an adjoining wood, and were very 
soon followed by the Indians. In a few minutes the 
firing entirely ceased : and an army much more than ten 
times superior to a small garrison, was compelled to re- 
linquish an attack, the successful issue of which, was not 
at all doubted by any one of its officers. 

A strong degree of terror prevailed among the collect- 
ed forces. Tlie Indians were enraged and mortified at 
this unparalleled defeat; and carrying their dead and 
wounded from the field, they indignantly followed the 
British regulars to the shipping. General Proctor aban- 
doned his wounded, and left the dead bodies of his most 
distinguished officers, among whom was colonel Short, 
in the ditch. — During the night of the 2d, major Croghan 
received as many of the wounded enemy through the port 
hole as were able to approach it, and to those who could 
not, he threw out provisions and water. 

On the morning of the Sd, the gun boats and transports 
sailed down the bay, and guards of soldiers were imme- 
diately afterwards sent out to collect and bring into the 
fort all the wounded, and to bury the enemy's dead with 
the honours to which, by their rank, they were entitled. 
70 stand of arms, several braces of pistols, and a boat 
containing much clothing and military stores, which had 
been left in the hurry of the enemy's flight, were th.en 



164 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

taken. The loss of the assailants was reported to have 
been not less than 150; that of the garrison, was 1 killed, 
and 7 slightly wounded. 

The brilliancy of tliis affair procured for the officers 
and men, the thanks of the government, and the unfeigned 
applause of all parties in the union. Major Croghan was 
soon after promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and 
was presented with a sword by the ladies of Chilicothe. 
His precaution and activity prevented a very important, 
though weak post, from falling into the hands of the ene- 
my; and gave a powerful check to their plan of opera- 
tions, for the remaining part of the campaign. The com- 
mander in chief, whose positive orders he had ventured 
to disobey, yielded him his warmest approbation, and 
recommended to the early notice of the department of 
war, a young soldier of 21 years, who had haffied the 
most ingenious efforts of the British general, and had sus- 
tained his various assaults for 36 hours. Besides major 
Croghan, the garrison contained 7 officers, all of whom 
distinguished themselves. Captain Hunter was second 
in command, and resisted the attacks of the second Bri- 
tish column, as well as of the Indians. Lieutenants John- 
son, Bayler, and Meeks, of the 17th, and Anthony, of the 
24th and ensigns Shipp and Duncan, of the 17th were 
stationed at different places in the garrison, and acquitted 
themselves with great credit. 

General Harrison had no sooner been apprised of the 
approach of the enemy toward fort Stephenson, than he 
sent orders for the immediate march of 250 volunteers, 
from Upper Sandusky, and put in readiness all the infan- 
try at Seneca, under generals M'Arthur and Cass. Scouts 
were instantly forwarded to reconnoitre the position of 
the enemy, but in consequence of the strong disposition 
of the Indian forces, they were unable to approach the 
garrison, and were met by general Harrison and his dra- 
goons, between Seneca town and fort Stephenson. Here 
the retreat of the enemy, under Proctor, and the invest- 
ment of fort Meigs by Tecumseh were first heard of, 
and the general directed M'Arthur and Cass to fall back 
to Seneca town, for the protection of the sick, and the 
provisions. But two days after, Tec2iinseh and his In- 
dians, followed the steps of Proctor and Dixon, and all 
apprehensions about the safety of the military hospitals 
were, therefore, removed. 



OF THE LATE WAR. i65 

The American fleet on the lake Erie, having been com- 
pleted, and, with great difficulty, passed over the bar, a 
principal part of the crew of each vessel being made up 
of the Pennsylvania militia, who had volunteered to go on 
an expedition, sailed on a short cruise, for the purpose of 
training the guns, and of exercising the sailors. In the 
latter part of August, commodore Perry proceeded to the 
mouth of Sandusky river, to co-operate with general Har- 
rison. At this place, about 70 volunteer marines were re- 
ceived on board, and the fleet sailed in quest of the Bri- 
tish squadron. The latter was, at that time, near Maiden, 
before which place commodore Perry appeared, and after 
reconnoitring the enemy, he retired to Fut-in-bay, a dis- 
tance of 30 miles, in hopes of drawing out his antagonist. 

On the morning of the 10th of September, of the same 
year, 1813, the enemy was discovered, bearing down upon 
the American squadron, which immediately got under 
weigh, and stood out to meet him. The superiority of 
force was greatly in favour of the British, though they had 
not an equal number of vessels. Their crews were larger, 
and the length and number of their guns greater, than 
those of the American squadron. The latter consisted of 
the brig Lawrence (flag vessel) of 20 guns; the Niagara, 
captain Elliot, of 20; the Caledonia, lieutenant Turner, of 
3; the schooner Ariel, of 4; the Scorpion, of 2; the So- 
mers, of 2, and 2 swivels ; the sloop Trippe, and schoon- 
ers Tigress and Porcupine, of 1 gun each; making a fleet 
of 9 vessels, of 54 guns, and 2 swivels. The British squa- 
dron consisted of the ships Detroit, commodore Barclay, 
of 19 guns, and 2 howitzers; the Queen Charlotte, captain 
Finnis, of 17, and 1 howitzer; the schooner Lady Prevost, 
lieutenant Buchan, of 13, and 1 howitzer; the brig Hun- 
ter, of 10; the sloop Little Belt, of 3; and the schooner 
Chippewa, of 1, and 2 swivels : making a fleet of 6 vessels, 
and 63 guns, 4 howitzers, and 2 swivels. 

When the American fleet stood out, the British fleet 
had the weathergage ; but at 10 o'clock, A. M. the wind 
shifted, and brought the American to windward. The line 
of battle was formed at 11; and at 15 minutes before 12, 
the enemy's flag ship, and the Queen Charlotte, opened 
upon the Lawrence a heavy and effectual fire, which she 
was obliged to sustain upwards of ten minutes, without 
a possibility of returning it, in consequence of her bat*- 



166 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

tery being of carronades. She nevertheless continued to 
bear up, and having given a signal for the other vessels 
to support her, at a few minutes before 12 opened her 
fire upon the enemy. The wind being too light to assist 
the remainder of the squadron in coming up, the Law- 
rence was compelled to fight the enemy's heaviest vessels 
upwards of two liours. The crew were not at all de- 
pressed; their animation increased, as the desperation of 
the fight became greater, and the guns were worked with 
as much coolness and precision, as if they had been in the 
act of training only. The slaughter on board the brig 
was almost unparalleled, the rigging very much injured, 
and the braces entirely shot away: and at length, after 
every gun had been rendered useless, she became quite 
unmanageable. The first lieutenant, Yarnall, was thrice 
wounded; the second lieutenant, Forrest, struck in the 
breast; the gallant lieutenant Brookes, of the marines, 
and midshipman Laub were killed, and sailing master 
Taylor, purser Hamilton, and midshipmen Claxton and 
Swartwout, wounded. Her loss already amounted to 
22 killed, and 61 wounded; when the commodore, see- 
ing that she must very soon strike, if the other vessels 
were not brought up, gave the command of the Law- 
rence to lieutenant Yarnall, and jumping into a boat, or- 
dered it to be steered for the Niagara, to which vessel he 
had determined to shift his fiag. In passing from the 
Lawrence to the Niagara, he stood up, waving his sword, 
and gallantly cheering his men, under a sho^ver of balls 
and bullets. He gained the Niagara, unhurt, at the mo- 
ment the flag of the Lawrence came down ; and the wind 
having at that instant increased, he brought her into ac- 
tion, and at 45 minutes past 2, gave signal for the whole 
fleet to close. All the vessels were now engaged, but as 
the superiority of the enemy had been increased by the 
loss of the Lawrence, the commodore determined on 
piercing his line with the Niagara. He therefore reso- 
lutely bore up, and passing ahead of the Detroit, Queen 
Charlotte, and Lady Prevost, poured a galling and de- 
structive fire into each from his starboard side, and into 
the Chippewa and Little Belt, from his larboard. He 
was then within half pistol shot, and as he cut through the 
line, the commander of the Lady Prevost, a brave oflicer, 
who had distinguished himself at the battle of the Nile, 



OF THE LATE WAR. 167 

1 eceived a musket ball in his face, and the crew being un- 
able to stand the fire, immediately ran below. At this mo- 
ment the Caledonia was struggling to get closer into the 
action, and her commander, lieutenant Turner, oidered 
her guns to be fired througli the foresail, which interfered 
between him and the enemy, rather than lose the chance 
of a full share in the combat, and was only prevented from 
attempting to board the Detroit, by the prudent refusal of 
the officer of another small vessel to assist him. 

The action was now raging with its utmost violence; 
every broadside fired with the most exact precision, and 
the result of the conflict altogether uncertain. In addi- 
tion to the loss of the Lawrence's guns, one of the Ariel's 
had burst, and the enemy had then the superiority of 34 
guns. This doubtful aspect, however, soon after changed. 
The Queen Charlotte had lost her captain, and all her 
principal officers; and having, by some mischance, run 
foul of the Detroit, most of the guns of both vessels be- 
came useless. In this situation, advantage of which was 
immediately taken by commodore Perry, they were com- 
pelled to sustain, in turn, an incessant fire from the Nia- 
gara, and other vessels of the American squadron. The 
British commodore's flag was soon after struck, and those 
of the Queen Charlotte, the Lady Prevost, the Hunter, 
and the Chippewa, came down in immediate succession. 
The whole fleet surrendered to the inferior squadron, with 
the exception of the Little Belt, which attempted to es- 
cape, but was pursued by two of the gun boats, and cap- 
tured at a distance of three miles from the squadron. 

Thus, after an action of three hours, in which the in- 
dividual gallantry of either fleet, had never been surpass- 
ed by any naval event now to be found on the record of 
history, was the entire command of this important lake, 
yielded to the American arms. To the future operations 
of the northwestern army, every prospect of success was 
tlirown open, and the recovery of the lost territory be- 
came no longer doubtful. Commodore Perry informed 
his government, that it had "" pleased the Mmighty to 
crown their arms with success;" and attributed the issue 
to the gallant conduct of his officers, his men, and the vo- 
lunteers on board. Among them are to be found the 
names of captain Elliot, lieutenants Turner, Edwards and 
Forrest, and midshipmen Laub, Claxton, Swartwout, 



168 HlSTORlCAli SKETCHES 

Clark and Cummings. Of the conduct of lieutenants Yar=- 
nall* and Brookes, and purser Hamilton, the latter of 
whom worked as a common sailor at a gun, the best evi- 
dence has .been given — the admiration of the whole of 
their own squadron, as well as that of the enemy. 

The number of killed and wounded tn both fleets was 
excessively great. Commodore Barclay was wounded in 
the hip, and lost the use of his right arm : the other had 
been shot off in a former action. The loss on board his 
squadron exceeded 200. The American loss amounted 
to 27 killed, and 96 wounded. The captured vessels were 
convoyed to tlie bay of Sandusky, and the prisoners, 600 
in number, conducted to Chilicothe. Among these, were 
a few companies of the British 41st regiment, who had 
been taken on board to act as marines. 

The result of this brilliant conflict, was immediately 
followed by active and extensive preparations for the ex- 
pulsion of the enemy from Detroit, the entire subjuga- 
tion of Maiden, and the overthrow of general Proctor's 
army. These objects achieved, the operations on the 
Niagara and St. Lawrence would be rapidly facilitated, 
and the most plausible prospects held out to an expedi- 
tion against Montreal. Governor Meigs had made a call 
upon the militia of Ohio, as soon as he was informed of 
the attack upon fort Stephenson, and upwards of 15,000 
volunteers were very soon under arms. Many of these 
were not yet discharged, and general Harrison now re- 
quired a proportion of them. At the mouth of Portage 
river, he intended that his whole army should be concen- 
trated; and between that point and Sandusky bay, he 
caused fences of logs to be constructed for the protection 
of the horses and baggage. The governor of Kentucky, 
Isaac Shelby, arrived at the new head quarters of the ar- 
my on the irth of September, with 4,000 well mounted 
volunteers. The works at fort Meigs being reduced, and 
garrisoned by a few men, general M'Arthur marched 
from that post witii his brigade, and joined the main body 
also. Thus strengthened, general Harrison determined 
on invading the enemy's shores ; and, at the dawn of the 

* This g-allant young officer has since been lost, in the United 
States brig- Epervier, on her passage from the Mediterranean with 
despatches. 



OF THE LATE ^VAU. ltJ9 

i21st he ordered his forces to embark at the mouth of the 
river, and to rendezvous at the different islands, which 
lay in clusters between Maiden and the point of embarka- 
tion. To colonel Johnson, who commanded a Kentucky 
mounted regiment at fort Meigs, he gave orders to pro- 
ceed to Detroit by land; arrangements having been first 
made, by which that officer and the commander in chief, 
were to be informed of each other's progress by daily ex- 
presses. 

On the 27th the troops were received on board the 
fleet, now enlarged by the captured vessels. They were 
embarked at a small island, about 20 miles from Maiden, 
called the Eastern Sister, and one of two islands to 
which the names of the Sisters had been given. In the 
afternoon of the same day, the fleet which was compo- 
sed of 16 vessels of war, and upwards of 100 boats, ar- 
rived at a point 3 miles below Maiden. Here the troops 
were landed in good order, and with peifect silence, and 
proceeded thence to Amherstburg. 

The British general, well aware that the American com- 
mander would early avail himself of the advantages late- 
ly gained by the capture of the fleet, had made prepara- 
tions to retire into the interior of Canada, to a place of 
better security than Maiden. He was apprised by his 
estafotte, of the approach of general Harrison, and hav- 
ing first set fire to the fort, and destroyed every article 
of public property, he ordered his forces, which were still 
composed of British regulars, and Tecumseh and Dix- 
on's Indians, to retreat towards the Thames, and thence 
alono- its course to the Moravian towns. The fort, the 
barracks, and other public buildings, were still smoking, 
when the American army entered Amherstburg, and a 
number of females came out to implore protection from 
its commander.— They received it. Tlie guns of the 
batteries liad been previously sunk, one only remained 
on an island opposite Maiden, and that had been left in 
the confusion of the enemy's retreat to the Thames. 

Amherstburg had heretofere been the repository of In- 
dian spoil, antl the principal depot of Indian presents. 
The tribes had been continually provided with munitions 
of war, from the garrison there ; and rewarded at that post 
for the outrages committed by them, at various times, up- 
on the people of the adjoining American territories. The 



170 lilSTOlllCAl. SKETCHES 

previous suft'erings of the citizens of the frontier, had all 
t?een derived from the activity of British traders, who 
were proprietors of the property and soil ; yet though 
almost every volunteer of the American army had been 
affected, either in his possessions, in his own person, or 
in that of his relatives, by the incursions and outrages of 
the enemy, the inhabitants of Amherstburg were protect- 
ed from violence, and their individual property honour- 
ably respected. Highly, and frequently, as the indigna- 
tion of these troops had been excited, they were still de- 
termined to contrast their conduct here, with that of the 
British and Indians at the river Raisin ; and, the house 
and grounds, therefore, of the most active officer at that 
scene, colonel Elliot, suffered not the least molestation. 

On the 28th, the army crossed La Blviere aux Canards^ 
the bridge over which the enemy had not stopped to de- 
stroy, and arrived at Sandwich on the foUoAving day, the 
tleet moving at the same time through the river Detroit to 
that place. Governor Shelby's command then occupied 
the point at which the first invasion of Canada had been 
attempted, vv'hilst the remainder of the army crossed over 
to the delivery of the town of Detroit, out of the posses- 
sion of the British Indians, who immediately abandoned 
the garrison, and retreated in different directions. Gene- 
ral Hairison, knowing that large numbers of warriors, un- 
der Split-Log, were collecting in the woods near Huron 
of lake St. Clair, directed general M'Arthur to remain 
with most of the regulars, in the occupation of Detroit, 
whilst he would pursue the army of general Proctor up 
the Thames. 

Colonel R. M. Johnson's regiment had arrived at De- 
troit on the day after its occupation by the American ar- 
my; and having concentrated this force, with a part of 
colonel Ball's regiment of dragoons, and the whole of 
governor Shelby's volunteers, the connnander in chief, on 
^le 2d of October, pursued the eneiny's route. Such was 
the rapidity of his movement, that he encamped in the 
evening of the same day at the river Eiscum, a distance 
of 26 miles from Sandwich. Early on the morning of 
the 3d, he resumed his march, and being accompanied 
by general Cass and commodore Perry, as acting aids, 
he proceeded in the advance with Johnson's regiment, in 
order to secure the bridges on the rivers, tributary to lake 



OF THE LATE WAR. 171 

St. Clair. By the capture of a lieutenant of dragoons and 
eleven privates, who had been left in general Proctor's 
rear, with orders to take up every bridge, by which the 
approach of Harrison's army could possibly be facilitated, 
one bridge was saved, and the American general learn- 
ed that the enemy had no " certain information of his ad- 
vances up tlie Thames." Within eight miles of this river, 
at Drake's farm, the army encamped for tlie night, and 
its baggage followed thus far, in the transports of the 
squadron. 

On the morning of the 4th, the army again proceeded 
on its route, and having reached Chatham, 17 miles from 
lake St, Clair, found its progress obstructed by a deep 
and unfordable creek, the bridge of which had been par- 
tially destroyed by a body of Indians who now made, 
their appearance, and fired on the front guard. They had 
taken a position on the opposite side of the creek, and 
flanked the American army on the right bank of the rivei% 
General Harrison made immediate arrangements to dis- 
perse or capture them. Colonel Johnson was already 
stationed on the right of the line, and had seized the ruins 
of another bridge, under a smart fire from the Indians on 
that flank. Major Wood was directed to bring up his 
artillery, and cover the pioneer Sy who were repairing the 
first bridge. This he did with unexpected success. The 
Indians could not withstand the heavy discharges of ar- 
tillery, and they therefore retired without much regard 
to the order of their retreat. The bridge was quickly re- 
paired, and the army, having first extinguished the flames 
of a farm house, which had been fired by the Indians, and 
captured from it 2000 stand of arms and a quantity of 
clothing, crossed over the creek, pursued the enemy four 
miles up the river, annoyed his rear guard, and took from 
him several pieces of cannon. This skirmish conti- 
nued one hour, in which time two men of the army were 
killed, and six wounded; whilst thirteen were killed on 
the side of the en,emy. Besides muskets, cannon, and 
clothing, he lost three vessels, loaded with ordnance 
stores and arms, which the approach of the Americans 
obliged him to destroy. 

On the 5th, the pursuit was eagerly renewed, and at- 
tended by the capture of tv/o gun boats, and several 
barges, loaded with provisions and ammunition. Having 



172 IIISTOIlI€AL SKETCHES 

attained the ground on which the enemy had encamped 
the'night before, the commander in chief directed colonel 
Johnson to hasten the march of his advance guard, and 
to send forward an officer to reconnoitre the situation of 
the combined British and Indian forces. This officer 
very soon after, returned v/ith intelligence that the ene- 
my were prepared for action, in an open ground, within 
four miles of the American main body. The road upon 
which general Harrison was then marching, entered a 
thick and extensive forest on the beach. A short distance 
from the bank of the Thames, was a miry swamp, which 
extended to the Moravian town, and betv/een this swamp 
and the river, was a level plain, through which, because of 
the thick underwood in the forest, the army would be 
oblif^ed to make its ap])roaches. Across this plain, the 
British line was drawn up, with its left resting on the 
river, supported by the greatest proportion of their artil- 
l-ery, its centre being protected by two heavy pieces, and 
its strength, in regulars, amounting to 600: 1200 Indians 
were formed along the maigin of the swamp. 

When general Harrison had come up with the main 
body, and was advised of the advantageous situation of 
the enemy, he ordered colonel Paul, with 150 regulars, 
to occupy a space between the road and tlie river ; to 
advance upon, and divert the enemy, and on an oppor- 
tunity, to seize the cannon v/liich defended his left flank. 
Lieutenant colonel James Johnson was directed to form 
major Payne's battalion of the mounted regiment, and 
major Su^gett's three spy companies, into six charging 
columns, immediately in tront of the British line of regu- 
lars and an Indian flank: whilst general Henny's division 
of infantry, should be stationed for his support in his rear. 
Colonel R. M. Jolmson was chaiged with the formation of 
another battalion, in front of the Indians, that were ar- 
rayed on the margin of the swamp. He accordingly dis- 
mounted one company, under command of captain Stuck- 
er, with v/hich he stretched a line in face of the Indians, 
and ordered major Thompson to form the remaining four 
companies, on horseback, into two charging columns of 
double files, immediately in the rear of the line on foot. 
The left of this battalion was supported by the infantry 
of general Desha. 

Thus disposed, with the main army in their rear, these 



OF THE lATE WAK. 173 

divisions moved forward to the attack. The British gave 
the first fire, upon which the charge was quickly ordered, 
and in a few moments the enemy's line was pierced by 
upwards of 1000 horsemen, who, dashing through the Bri- 
tish regulars with irresistible speed, either trampled under 
foot, or cut down every soldier who opposed them ; and 
having killed and wounded upwards of 50, at one charge, 
instantly formed in their rear, and repeated the attack! 
Such was the panic which pervaded the whole line of the 
enemy, tha,t an order which had been issued to fix bayo- 
net, was not attempted to be executed: and in a little 
while, colonels Evans, Warburton, and Baubee, and ma- 
jors Muir and Chambers, surrendered with 472 prisoners. 
The charge had no sooner been made, than general Proc- 
tor, fearing the consequences, of his conduct in Michigan, 
if he should be taken in this battle, abandoned his com- 
mand, and made his escape in a carriage, under a strong 
escort of dragoons. 

Whilst this brilliant charge was making on the right, 
the action was raging with great violence on the left. — 
Between the Indians there, and the mounted men and 
infimtry drawn up against them, it was longer and more 
obstinately contended. The Indians were commanded 
by Tecumseh, who fought with more than his accustom- 
ed skill, and having posted his warriors in the best possi- 
ble situations to repulse an attack, he indicated his wil- 
lingness to receive the assault of the American cavalry. 
Colonel Johnson, who saw that the Indians would dispute 
the ground with more bravery than the British regulars, 
placed himself at the .head of his battalion, and led it up 
to a vigorous charge upon Tecwnseh's flank. That chief 
at the same moment dealt out a tremendous fire, v/hich, 
though severe in its effect, did not retard the movement 
of the advancing columns. But the difficulty of penetra- 
ting the thicket and swamp, threw an impediment in the 
way of a successful result to an onset with dragoons, and 
the attempt to break the Indian line, in consequence 
failed. An engagement immediately took place, however, 
in which, after exchanging several rounds with Tecum- 
seh's band, colonel Johnson ordered both his columns to 
dismount, and leading them up a second time, he made a 
desperate, but successful effort, to break through the In- 
dians. Having gained the rear of their line, his next or- 

P 2 



174 HISTORIC Al^ SKETCHES 

tier directed his men to fight them in their own mode. 
The contest became now more obstinate. Notwithstand- 
ing their line had been thus pierced, and their warriors 
were falling in considerable numbers, the Indians did not 
think themselves yet discomfited, and quickly collecting 
their principal strength upon the right, they made an at- 
tempt to penetrate the line of infantry under general De- 
sha. In this they had partially succeeded, a part of that 
line having faltered, when governor Shelby brought up 
three companies of his volunteers to its support, and, in 
turn, threw back the Indians. 

Meanwhile colonel R. M. Johnson had been five times 
wounded,* and in that state, covered with blood, and ex- 
hausted by pain and fatigue, he personally encountered 
Tecuinseh. The colonel was mounted on a white charger, 
at which, being a conspicuous object, the Indians had con- 
tinually levelled their fire. A shower of bullets had fallen 
round him ; his holsters, his clothes, and most of his ac- 
coutrements, were pierced in several places ; and at the 
instant when he discovered Tecumseh, his horse received 
a second wound. Tecumseh having discharged his rifle, 
sprang forward with his tomhawk, and had it already 
raised to throw, when colonel Johnson's horse staggered 
back, and immediately the colonel drew forth a pistol, 
shot the Indian through the head, and both fell to the 
«:round to^ether.t 

The wounded colonel being then removed from the 
field, the command of that battalion devolved on major 
Thompson, who continued to fight the whole body of the 
Indians (then upw^ards of 1000), more than an hour, and 
eventually put them to flight. In their attempt to gain 
the village, through the level plain, they were pursued, 
and numbers of them cut down by the cavalry. 
. The Americans being now masters of the field, their 
gallant commander, who had been in every part of the 
action, directed the wounded officers and men of both 
armies, to be taken care of; and the trophies of the vic- 

* Colonel Johnson survived his wounds, and yet represents the 
state of Kentucky, in the national legislature. 

f It has been frequently doubted, whether the Indian, who thus 
attacked the colonel, was Tecumseh. — That chief was found dead, 
however, upon the field of battle, and with such a wound, as is 
described to have been given to colonel Johnson's antagonist. 



OIF TIIF. T.ATE WAR. 175 

tory to be collected and conveyed to the squadron. — - 
Among these, were several pieces of brass cannon, which 
had been taken from Burgoyne, at Saratoga, in the strug- 
gle for the independence of the states, and surrendered 
again by general Hull, S5 years afterwards, at Detroit. 

In the battle of the Thames {5th October, 1813), the 
number of Americans engaged did not exceed 1400. The 
nature of the ground, rendered an operation by the whole 
force impracticable, and the main body therefore formed 
a corps of reserve. They sustained a loss of 50, in killed 
and wounded. The number of the former, among whom 
was a brave old soldier of the revolution, colonel Whitley, 
then serving as a volunteer private in a Kentucky regi- 
ment, amounted to 17. The enemy lost in regulars alone, 
upwards of 90 killed, and about the same number wound- 
ed, and surrendered in all 600 prisoners. Among the In- 
dians, 120 were killed, including their brave, but ambi- 
tious and inveterate leader. 

A squadron of horse, which had been ordered in pur- 
suit of Proctor, immediately after his flight, returned to 
general Harrison with the baggage and private papers of 
the British commander, which they had taken within 100 
yards of his escort. By the speed of his horses, and his 
knowledge of the country, he successfully eluded his pur- 
suers. 

The result of this victory was highly advantageous, not 
only to the operations of the army below, but to all the 
northwestern territories ; some of whose inhabitants were 
released from the restraint of a conquered people, and 
had now a favourable prospect of future tranquillity. By 
this event, the whole British force in that part of Canada, 
was destroyed; the association, with each other, of the 
different tribes, hostile to the United States, prevented ; 
and their reunion with the enemy entirely cut off. By 
the fall of the Shawanoe chief, the Americans were disen- 
cumbered of their most powerful, inveterate, and expe- 
rienced Indian enemy; and a sudden check was given to 
the spirit of barbarian enterprise, to which that frontier 
had hitherto been subject. Tecumseh was a bold, intre- 
pid, and active leader, whose undeviating practice it was, 
never to take a prisoner. He was ever ready to conceive 
a daring and inhuman design, and would execute it with 
unprecedented and remorseless perseverance. His ruling 



IT 6 HISTORIC AT, SKETCHES 

passion was the plunder and annihilation of the people 
whom he believed had encroached upon, and gradually 
deprived his ancestry of their soil. But, when he under- 
took an expedition, accompanied by his tribe, he would 
relinquish to them the spoil, though he would never yield 
the privilege of destroying the victim. To the Indians of 
all other tribes, as well as to that among whom he was 
born, the loss of a leader like Teciimseh, on whose capa- 
city and conduct as a warrior, tliey could always rely, 
and who would encourage and assist in their cruelties, 
was therefore irreparable. Such, indeed, was the etfect 
of his death, upon the tribes generally, that many of the 
chiefs of most of the nations, having no confidence in any 
other leader, gave themselves up to the conquering gene- 
ral, and negotiated with him terms of peace, in which he 
stipulated that his government should not be expected to 
subsist their warriors. 

On the day following that on which the battle of the 
Thames was fought, general Harrison destroyed the Mo- 
ravian town, and commenced his march for Detroit, where 
he negotiated terms of peace with other tribes, and re- 
ceived a flag from general Proctor, accompanied by a re- 
quest, that humane treatment might be extended to the 
British prisoners. This request had been anticipated by 
the American general, who had already given up the sinj- 
ple comforts of his own tent, to the wounded British co- 
lonels, and had instructed his troops before the battle, that 
the person of even general Proctor should be respected, 
if, by the fortune of the day, it should be thrown into their 
hands. 

At Detroit, governor Shelby*s volunteers, and the twelve 
months' men, were all honourably discharged. The fort 
was garrisoned by 1000 men, under general Cass, who 
was appointed provisional governor of the Michigan ter- 
ritory; and the civil law was restored to the condition in 
which it was at the time when general Proctor instituted 
other ordinances, for the government of the inhabitants. 

In the event of his success against Proctor, the com- 
mander in chief had been directed by the war department 
to join the northern army on the Niagara; and according- 
ly, having besides these arrangements, stationed a re- 
spectable force at Maiden and Sandwich, on the 23d of 



UF THE liATE WAR. 1^77 

October, he embarked in the squadron of lake Erie, with 
all his disposables, and sailed for the village of Biiifaloe, 
where he arrived before the beginning of November. 



CHAPTER XII. 



Plan of operations on the St. Lawrence — Concentratiou 
of the forces on Grenadier Island — British abandon the 
investment of Fort George — Descent of the St. Law- 
rence — Skirmishes in its course — Battle of Chrystler's 
field — The left wing of the A^orthern Army retires to 
winter quarters — The right iving marches through the 
Chateaugay woods — Is attacked by the British — En- 
gages and repulses them — Goes also into winter quar- 
ters — The Americans evacuate Fort George, and de- 
stroy A^ewark — Surrender of Fort ATiagara — Destruc- 
tion of Lewistown and Buffaloe. 

Correspondent with these movements of the north- 
western army, a plan of operations on the St. Lawrence, 
had been concerted by the united talents of the war de- 
partment, which had been transferred to the frontier, and 
general Wilkinson, who, having succeeded to the com- 
mand of the army of the north, had established his head 
quarters at fort George. By this plan; the capture and 
occupation of Montreal and Kingston, the grand rendez- 
vous of the British land forces, and the only secure har- 
bour for tlieir naval armaments, was contemplated; and 
the result of its successful execution, could not fail of 
being fruitful with advantages to the future movements 
of the army, and the contemplated conquest of the pro- 
vince of Lower Canada. The late overthrow of general 
Proctor in the upper province, increased the expectations 
of the department and the army, and held out to each, 
the most certain prospects of eventual success. Two ob- 
stacles, however, presented themselves to the entire ful- 
filment of these expectations. The lateness of the sea- 
son, which, in a country where the winter commences 



ITS HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

with ffi'eat severity, would raise up insurmountable ob- 
structions to the movements of troops ; and the difterence 
of opinion between the commanding general and the se- 
cretary of war, as to which post should be the first object 
of assault. Each being tenacious of his own opinion, and 
both anxious for the consummation of the concerted 
scheme, it became necessary to hasten the impending ope- 
rations, by the adoption of one or the other. The delibe- 
ration of a council of war was proposed. To obviate the 
first difficulty, the removal of the second was indispen- 
sable, and the necessity of an immediate decision, upon a 
question involving the interests of the expedition, became 
more obvious. A council was therefore organized, and 
conceiving that the success of the design, depended on an 
early movement of the designated force, they decided, 
without hesitation, on a descent upon Montreal. 

Arrangements were then adopted to collect and con- 
centrate the different regiments on Grenadier island, a 
point between Kingston and Sacket's Harbour, wiiich had 
been assigned as the best rendezvous, because of its con- 
tiguity to the head of the St. Lawrence. Orders were 
forwarded to fort George, to colonel Scott of the artillery, 
who had been left, by general Wilkinson, in command of 
that post, to embark his artillery, and colonel Randolph's 
regiment of infantry, on board a vessel of the squadron, 
ann to proceed to the island. The general had left the 
garrison of fort George, on the 2d of October (1813), with 
the largest portion of the troops, who were now awaiting 
the arrival of the remainder, at the rendezvous, and had 
been actively employed in providing clothing, and other 
equipments necessary to the soldiers, in the course of 
their movement down the river. Between Grenadier 
island and Sacket's Harbour, he had made frequent voy- 
ages, to see that the troops were well bestowed at the 
former, and that tiie different detachments, which almost 
daily arrived at the latter, were immediately despatched 
thence. He had caused a sufficient number of boats to 
be prepared to convey the artillery through the St. Law- 
rence; and having assigned the command of Sacket's 
Harbour to lieutenant colonel Dennis, he thence proceed- 
ed to put the troops in motion at the island. 

By this time (the 23d) the force at that place amounted 
to nearly 8000 men, and was composed of colonel Moses 



OF THE LATE WAR. 179 

Porter's light artillery; a few companies of colonel Scott's 
(2d) regiment of artillery; colonel M'Comb's (3d) regi- 
ment of artillery; the 5th regiment of infantry; the 6th, 
commanded by captain Humphreys; the 11th; the 12th, 
colonel Coles; the 13th, commanded by colonel Preston 
of the 23d; the 14th, lieutenant colonel Dix; the 15th, co- 
lonel Brearley; the l6th, colonel Pearce ; the 21st, colonel 
Ripley; the 22d, colonel Brady; the 25th; and major For- 
sythe's rifle corps. 

Having issued the necessary orders, general Wilkinson 
resolved on moving on the 25th ; and although the gales 
which had prevailed for several days, continued with un- 
abated violence, and were now attended with heavy rains, 
his anxiety to promote the issue of the expedition, induced 
him to order the embarkation of the troops; and, strug- 
gling against a disorder which had rendered his health ex- 
tremely precarious, he remained on the island until the 
embarkation was nearly completed, directing the boats to 
take advantage of the momentary pauses of the storm, 
to slide into the St. Lawrence. 9 

A few days before, intelligence had been forwarded by 
colonel Scott, of the enemy having evacuated the in- 
trenchments in the neighbourhood of fort George, and of 
their having burnt, and otherwise destroyed all their camp 
equipage and many stand of arms, in order to facilitate 
the march of their troops to Kingston; to which place 
they had been ordered, as soon as general Wilkinson's 
contemplated movement was discovered. They had been 
apprised of the intentions of the American general pre- 
viously to the 9th, and, on that day, they abandoned the 
whole peninsula on the Niagara, and directed their atten- 
tion to the defence of Kingston, against which they sup- 
posed the Americans would move. To keep that impres- 
sion alive, and to confine their plans to the protection of 
Kingston only, general Wilkinson fixed on French creek, 
which lays immediately opposite the point at which the 
British suspected he would land, as the general rendez- 
vous of the troops, after their entrance into the St Law- 
rence. Brigadier general Brown (now of the United 
States' regulars) was ordered forward to command the 
advance of the army at that place ; and the rear was soon 
after strengthened by the arrival at Grenadier island, of 
the 20th regiment, under colonel Randolph. 



180 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

On the 1st November the enemy appeared at French 
creek, with a squadron of four large vessels, and a num- 
ber of boats filled with infantry, and attacked the detach- 
ment at that place in the evening. General Brown has- 
tily made arrangements to defend his position, and after a 
short cannonade the enemy's vessels were compelled to 
retire, by a battery of three 18 pounders, which had been 
erected, and managed with great spirit, by captains 
M'Pherson and Fanning, of the artillery. The enemy fell 
down to a convenient harbour, and renewed his attack on 
the following morning. By the same judicious arrange- 
ments he was again repulsed, and a few hours afterwards 
the American squadron entered the St. Lawrence, and 
took a position near French creek, to command the north 
and south channels. On the 3d and 4th the rear of the 
army arrived at the general rendezvous. On the 5th, the 
flotilla of transports got under way, and arrived without 
accident, below Morris ville. 

On the 6th, the commander in chief ordered the flotilla 
tocdescend with the whole army, to a point within 3 miles 
of Prescott, and directed the powder and fixed ammuni- 
tion to be debarked, and transported by land, under cover 
of the night, below the enemy's batteries. Before either 
of these orders were put in execution, he proceeded in 
his gig (a small boat) to reconnoitre the place, and having 
concluded that the safest passage of the troops would be 
effected on shore, he ordered the debarkation of every 
man, except the number necessary to navigate the 'boats, 
and the army marched by ni^rht, tw o miles below Prescott. 
Arrangements were also made for the passage of the flo- 
tilla, to the same point; and general Brown, being the ge- 
neral officer of the day, was charged with the superintend- 
ence. Availing himself of a heavy fog, which came on at 8 
o'clock in the evening, the commander in chief, believ- 
ing he could pass the enemy's fort unobserved, put the 
flotilla and the marching columns in motipn, at the same 
instant; and proceeded in his gig, followed by his passage 
boat and staff", ahead of the former. An unexpected 
change of the atmosphere, enabled the enemy's garrison 
to discover the boats, and the columns upon land, whose 
movements had been simultaneous. Nearly fifty 24 pound 
shot were fired at the general's passage boat, and the 
columns were assailed with a great number of shot and 



OF THE LATE WAR. 1 8 1 

shells. Neither of these attacks were successful; and 
the only injury sustained by the Americans, was one man 
killed, in one of the boats. The flotilla had been halted by 
general Brown, as soon as the firing was heard, and it did 
not resume its course until the setting of the moon; when, 
in attempting to pass, at the same place, it was attacked 
also, it nevertheless pursued its passage to the place of 
destination, under a heavy, though ineffectual fire, of 3 
hours. During all this time, of 300 boats, of which the 
flotilla was comprised, not one was touched by a ball; 
and before 10 o'clock of the 7th, they all safely arrived 
at the designated rendezvous. From this place, the com- 
mander in chief forwarded an order to general Hampton, 
commanding the left division of the northern army, to 
form a junction, with the division then descending the St. 
Lawrence. 

On the 7th, the difiiculties in this descent increased. 
The indisposition of the general became alarming. The 
passage of the troops was delayed half a day, in extrica- 
ting two schooners from the river near Ogdensburg, which 
were loaded with provisions, and had been driven to that 
place by the enemy's fire. In the course of the morning, 
the commander in chief had been informed, that the coast 
below was lined with posts of artillery and musketry, at 
every narrow pass of the river. He therefore detached 
colonel M'Comb, with the elite corps of about 1200 men, 
to remove these obstructions. At 3 in the afternoon, the 
army followed. Immediately after passing the first rapid 
of the St. Lawrence, the passage boat of the general was 
again attacked by two pieces of light artillery, which 
colonel M'Comb had not observed in his march. No 
other injury was done, however, than the cutting of the 
rigging, the attention of these pieces being diverted from 
that object, by lieutenant colonel Eustis, and a few light 
gun barges, between whom and the enemy, a cannonade 
was kept up, without effect on either side. But major 
Forsythe, who was in M'Comb's rear, having landed his 
riflemen, and advanced upon tlie enemy, 3 pieces were 
precipitately carried away. About 6 miles below the town 
of Hamilton, the flotilla came too, and the general receiv- 
ed intelligence of colonel M'Comb having routed the 
enemy at a block house, 2 miles lower The dragoons 

Q 



18^ HISTORICAlu SKETCHES 

which were attached to the first division of the army, had 
by this time assembled at a place called the White House, 
situated at a contraction of the river. On tlie morning 
of the 8th, the flotilla proceeded to tliis point, and after 
having ordered general Brown to go forward with his 
brigade to reinforce colonel M'Comb, and to take com- 
mand of the advance of the army, general Wilkinson 
directed the transportation of the dragoons across the St. 
Lawrence. This business was completed in the course 
of the night. 

Not long after the descent of this river was commen- 
ced by the American army, the British troops, who had 
been concentrated in the vicinity of Kingston, having dis- 
covered that that post was not the object of the expedi- 
tion, immediately proceeded to Prescott. The day fol- 
lowing that on which the Am^^ricans had passed this vil- 
lage, the Britisli commandant sent a flag over to Ogdens- 
burg, with a demand for the delivery of all the public 
property there, under the penalty of the immediate de- 
struction of the town. Without waiting, however, for a 
compliance with this demand, the enemy embarked about 
1500 troops and followed general Wilkinson's descent, 
with an intention of annoying his rear. On the 9th, they 
had so far gained upon it, as to bring on a skirmish be- 
tween the American riflemen and a party of British mili- 
tia and Indians. After having killed one man, the enemy 
were completely repulsed. 

In the course of this day, the cavalry, with 4 pieces of 
artillery, under captain M'Pherson, were attached to the 
command of general Brown, who was ordered to clear 
the coast below, as far as the head of the " Longue Saiit." 
After being obliged to halt several hours, by the rapidity 
of the current, to enable general Brown to make good his 
march, in time to cover the movement of the flotilla, ge- 
neral Wilkinson arrived at a point called the Yellow 
House, which stands near the snut 

On the morning of the 10th, he ordered general Brown 
to prosecute his march, with all the troops under his 
command, except 2 pieces of artillery and the 2d dragoons. 
A regard for the safety of the men, induced the command- 
ing general to march as many of them as possible, as the 
passage of the Longue Saut would be dangerous. This 
regiment, therefore, as well as all the men of the other 



OE THE LITE WAR. 183 

brigades, with the reservation of a proper number to na- 
vigate the bouts, were assigned to general Boyd, who 
was ordered to take necessary precautions to prevent the 
enemy iianging on the rear, from making an advantage- 
ous attack ; and if attacked, to turn upon, and if possible, 
to beat them. General Brown, in obedience to these or- 
ders, marched with the advance, then consisting of about 
1800 men, and composed principally of colonel M'Comb's 
artillery, some companies of colonel Scott's regiment, 
part of the liglit artillery, the riflemen, and the 6th, 15th, 
and 22d regiments. At a block house near the sauf, 
which had been erected to harass the flotilla in its de- 
scent, he was engaged by a strong party of the enemy, 
with whom he contended for a few minutes, and at length 
compelled them to retire. This repulse was effected en- 
tirely by major Forsythe, who was severely wounded in 
the engagement. General Brov/n then took a position 
near the foot of the saiit. At the same time a number of 
British gallies and gun boats approached the flotilla, now 
at the shore, and commenced a cannonade. The galley 
mounted a long 24~pounder, which materially injured the 

Americun barges, ami ii- ispcame necessary to run twO" 

18-pounders on shore, and form a battery to resist tlie 
enemy's attack. One shot fiom this battery obliged the 
British to retire up the river; and it being then too late to 
trust the flotilla to the saut, the current in which allows 
no chance to land, or to pursue any other than its own 
course, the barges lay too until the morning of the 11th. 

At 10 o'clock on that day, the flotilla was prepared to 
sail ; and the division under general Boyd, consisting of 
his own, and generals Covington and Swartwout's bri- 
gades, was already formed in marching order, when an 
alarm was heard from the gun-boats, and the command- 
ing general was apprised that the enemy were advancing 
in column. The increasing indisposition of general Wil- 
kinson rendered him incapable of taking the field. Gene- 
ral Lewis having declined the command, in consequence 
of being ill also, general Boyd was ordered to turn upon, 
and attack the British force. The enemy's gun-boats 
■were advancing at the same tine, with a view to attack 
the rear of the flotilla, as soon as it should move off. — 
The officers having it in charge, were therefore directed 
not to leave the shore. General Boyd advanced upon 



184 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

the enemy, with his detachment, formed in 3 columns; 
and forwarded a body of general Swartwout's brigade, 
consisting of the 21 st regiment, to meet and bring the 
enemy to action. Colonel Ripley, with this regiment, 
ranged through the woods, which in a semicircle, skirt- 
ed Chrystler's field, and drove in several parties of the 
skirmishers. Upon entering the open field, he discovered 
the British advance, consisting of tlie 49th and Glengary 
legiments. With these he immediately commenced an 
action, in which he twice charged these united regi- 
ments, either of which was more than equal to the 21st, 
and drove them over the ravines and fences by which 
Chrystler's field was intersected; when they fell upon 
their main body. Meanwhile, general Covington had 
advanced upon the enemy's right, where his artillery had 
been planted; and at the moment when the 21st assailed 
the British left flank, this brigade forced the right by a 
vigorous onset, and the result of the action was now look- 
ed to with great certainty. The gallant conduct of gene- 
ral Covington attracted the attention of a party of sharp- 
shooters stationed in Chrystler's house, one of whom 
J^vellpfl his pier<^ and shnt him from his horse. The WOUnd 
proved to be mortal, and in two days after the general 
died. The fall of their commander threw that brigade 
into confusion, and it very soon broke before the enemy's 
artillery; and together with the l6th, took shelter be- 
hind the 21st, which wei*" still engaged with the British 
left and centre. Four pieces of artillery had been planted 
to enfilade the enemy's right, but out of reach of sup- 
port; and, when Covington's brigade fell back, tlie Bri- 
tish commander wheeled part of his line into column, to 
attack and capture them. A body of dragoons, under 
the adjutant general Walbach, attempted, in a very gal- 
lant manner to charge the British column, but the nature 
of the ground prevented its being checked, and the in- 
tervention of the 21st, between the cannon and the ene- 
my, alone retarded his advance. The British then fell 
back with, much precipitation. The 25th, which had 
been disordered, was at this time in a ravine; and on all 
parts of the field, skirmishes and detached battles were 
kept up with various success. The 21st being out of am- 
munition, was withdrawn from the exposed positions of 
the ground, and a second attempt was soon after made 



OF THE LATE WAR. 185 

upon the cannon. The death of lieutenant William W. 
Smith, of the light artillery, who commanded one piece, 
enabled the enemy to capture the only trophy they ob- 
tained. The coolness and bravery of captain Armstrong; 
Irvine, saved the remaining pieces, which he brought off 
the field. The action immediately after ceased. It had 
been fought with distinguished gallantry, by about 1700 
undisciplined men, against the same number of British 
veterans, and its duration was upwards of two hours. The 
enemy's force consisted of detachments from the 49th, 
89th, 104th, the voltigeurs, and the Glengary regiment. 
These retired to their encampment, and the Americans 
to their boats. 

The American loss on this occasion amounted to 359, 
102 of whom were killed; among these were lieutenants 
Smith, Hunter, and Olmstead: the loss in wounded was 
swelled by the rank and worth of the officers on that list, 
general Covington; colonel Preston; majors Chambers, 
and Cummings; and captains Foster, Townsend, Myers, 
and Campbell, being among the officers composing it: of 
those who distinguished themselves, none were more con- 
spicuous than captain Irvine, and lieutenant Mahon of the 
l6th, who planted the fiist American ensign on the Cana- 
dian shore at the assault and capture of fort George. 

In this battle, t'ne victory was claimed on both sides. 
An impartial examination of the result, however, will lead 
to the conclusion that it was a drawn battle; or that, if 
any advantages occurred to either party, they were de- 
cidedly gained by tlie Americans. The front of the ene- 
my had been forced back more than a mile in the early 
part of the action, and it never regained the ground thus 
lost To use the words of the American general, his 
views and those of ^the Britisli commander " were pre- 
cisely opposed. The first being bound by the instruc- 
tions of his government, and the most solemn obligations 
of duty, to precipitate his descent of the St. liawrence, by 
every practicable means: and the last, by equally impe- 
rious duties, to retard, and if possible, to prevent such de- 
scent. If then, he (the British commander) found him- 
self victorious on this day, it was certainly in his power 
to have effected the one or the other object, and as he 
made no attempt to effect either, it follows incontestibly 
that he had no fair ground on which to claim a victory." 

Q2 



186 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

So far from obstructing the further descent of the river, 
the enemy never again assailed tlie column upon land, or 
the barges of the flotilla. Early on tlie morning of the 
12th, the army proceeded on its route, and reached Barn- 
hart, near Cornwall, where it rejoined the advance. At 
this place general Wilkinson received a letter from gene- 
ral Hampton, in which he declined a meeting at St. Re- 
gis, the place named in the orders which had been sent to 
him on the 6th, and informed the commander in chief 
that he intended to march to lake Champlain, and thence 
to co-operate in the attack upon Montreal. General Wil- 
kinson immediately concluded that it would be useless to 
prosecute his route to Montreal any further, and that every 
prospect of a desirable termination of the campaign was 
destroyed. He therefore summoned together the princi- 
pal officers of that division of the army, with which he 
was acting, who determined that the receipt of this des- 
patch, rendered it expedient that the army should quit 
the Canadian side of the St. Lawrence, and go into win- 
ter quarters at French Mills, on Salmon river, which it 
accordingly did on the 13th instant. After having sur- 
mounted many perilous difficulties, in the descent of a 
river, crowded with various obstructions, the further pro- 
secution of its passage was thus entirely abandoned, by 
the united determination of the commander in chief, and 
his council of war. 

Whether the refusal of general Hampton to form a 
Junction with general Wilkinson, at the St. Regis, instead 
of adopting his own plan of marching by Champlain and 
Cognav/ago, should have prevented the prosecution of the 
campaign to its original object, does not come within the 
province of these sketches to discuss. It is the business 
of the writer of them to be studiously impartial, and he 
does not hesitate to acknowledge his belief, that many cir- 
cumstances are yet to transpire, before the public opinion 
can be regulated. 

Whilst general Wilkinson was engaged in concentrat- 
ing the left division of the army at Grenadier island, pre- 
paratory to the descent of the St. Lawrence, general 
Hampton had determined on moving the right division 
from Champlain down the Chateaugay, for the purpose of 
obtaining a situation, from which it could with more fa- 
cility co-operate in the contemplated movements against 



OF THE LATE WAR. 157 

Montreal. On the 21st of October he put his troops in 
motion, having first arranged a line of communication as 
far up the St. Lawrence as Ogdensburg. An extensive 
wood, filled Avith hewn timber, and covered with the In- 
dians and the enemy's light troops, threw an impediment 
in the way of the engineers, who were to cut a road for 
the passage of the artillery and stores. General Izard 
had been detached with the light troops, and one regi- 
ment from the line, to turn them in flank, and to seize 
on the open country below. In this he succeeded; and 
the main army, advancing on a circuitous road, reached 
the advanced position on the evening of the 22d, At a 
distance of seven miles from the ground on which the 
army encamped, was a wood which had been formed into 
an ahbatiSy and was filled with a succession of breast- 
works, the rearmost of which was well supplied with 
ordnance. Behind these, the disposable force of the ene- 
my was placed ; in front of them the light troops and In- 
dians. Sir George Prevost was supposed to be the com- 
mander in chief of the forces and breastworks thus ar- 
ranged. It was resolved to attack and dislodge him. Co- 
lonel Purdy, who commanded the 1st brigade, was ordered 
on the 2oth, to ford the river, and march down on its op- 
posite side, until he shoulH reach the enemy's rear, where 
he was to recross the river, and attack him in his breast- 
works; whilst the 2d brigade, under general Izard, was 
to assail him in front. The fire from one was to be the 
signal of attack for the other. Colonel Purdy accordingly 
marched down on the opposite bank, but had not proceed- 
ed far, when he received a countermanding order from 
general Hampton, issued in consequence of a communica- 
tion from the quarter master general's department, which 
the general deemed unfavourable to the prosecution of his 
plan. 

in attempting to return to the place at which he had 
previously crossed the river, colonel Purdy was attacked 
\ by the enemy's infantry and Indians, who were repulsed, 
' after a short contest, though they had thrown the Ameri> 
can colum.n into partial confusion. The British at the 
same time came out of tlieir works, to attack the 2d bri- 
gade on the opposite side. They were repulsed at this 
point also, and general Izard drove them rapidly behind 
the^r defences. The 1st brigade attempted the construe- 



188 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

tion of a brids;e of logs, and though it was assailed by a 
considerable force of the British regulars, and received a 
sharp fire across the river, the bridge was completed, and 
colonel Purdy recrossed his men. He was again attack- 
ed, and several times resisted the cliarges of the enemy. 
The army commenced a retreat, after losing about fifty 
men; and as general Hampton received an account of 
the enemy being continually reinforced, he resolved, on 
the advice of a council, to retreat to the Four Corners. 
The army, accordingly, on the 31st, returned to a posi- 
tion which it held many days before. In these various 
skirmishes, majors Snelling and Wool were particularly 
distinguished. 

A petite guerre was kept up on the lines by Col. Clark, 
who commanded a regiment of infantry, acting as rifle- 
men, which had already, on several important occasions, 
been of great annoyance to the enemy. But this incur- 
sive warfare was stopped soon after the return of gene- 
ral Hampton's division, and all the troops under his com- 
mand were put into winter quarters, in the course of the 
month of November, and the command assigned to gene- 
ral Izard. 

Not long after the departure of general Wilkinson from 
fort George, that post fell successively to the command 
of colonel Scott, general Harrison, and general M*Clure, 
of the New York militia; under each of whom frequent 
skirmishes took place. In one of these, colonel Wilcocks, 
with the Canadian volunteer mounted regiment, behaved 
with personal bravery, and gave an augury of tlie services 
which the American government might expect from this 
new species of troops. 

On the 10th December (1813), it was ascertained that 
the enemy had collected a force of 1500 regulars, and at 
least 700 Indians, and were proceeding on their march to 
fort George, to expel the Americans from the garrison and 
the shores. The remnant of an army, of which the garri- 
son was at that time composed, rendered the post altoge- 
ther untenable, and general M'Clure determined on de- 
stroying the town of Newark, and the batteries by which 
it was protected, and evacuating fort George, with a view 
to posting himself at fort Niagara. Accordingly, having 
first given the inhabitants full notice of his intentions, he 
put them into execution, and crossed his force over to 



OF THE LATE WAR. 189 

the American shore. Newark was left in flames, and 
the guns of fort George were rendered useless. The 
British forces arrived only in time to find themselves 
without shelter, and were obliged, to fall back to Queens- 
town. From this place general M'Clure attempted to 
dislodge them, by the batteries at Lewistown, but without 
effect. 

The British commander became highly incensed at the 
destruction of the town of Newark, and secretly resolved 
on the conflagration of Buffaloe, Schlosser, and Lewis- 
town, and the capture of fort Niagaia ; tlie garrison of 
v/hich they destined to be put to the sword. A surmise 
of these intentions of the enemy, induced the American 
commander to transfer his head quarters to Buffaloe ; to 
which place he immediately set out, to provide for the 
protection of its citizens, and called forth the neighbour- 
ing militia en masse. 

Fort Niagara was at this time garrisoned by 324 sick 
and eftective men, and was commanded by captain Leo- 
nard, of the artillery, who, notwithstanding the notorious 
fact of the enemy being within two hour's march of the 
fort, neglected to provide against an assault, by night, 
and on the evening of the 18th, took up his quarters at 
a farm, 2 miles distant from his command. At 4 o'clock 
on the morning of the 19th, the enemy, 400 in number, 
crossed the Niagara, under colonel Murray, and approach- 
ed the principal gate, which was then open. Accompa- 
nied by his Indian warriors, he ruslied furiously in upon 
the garrison, and in a few minutes, put an end to all op- 
position. The only resistance which was made, he re- 
ceived from the guard in the southeast block house, and 
the sick, who crawled out from their beds. What officers 
were within the fort, exhausted every means of defence, 
of which the suddenness of the attack liad not deprived 
ihem. On entering the garrison, colonel Murray received 
a wound in the arm ; soon after which he yielded the 
command to colonel Hamilton — under whose superin- 
tendence, the women of the garrison were stript of their 
clothing, and many of them killed, and the persons of the 
dead officers treated with shocking indignity. In the 
meantime, captain Ijeonard arrived, and was made pri- 
soner ; and out of the whole number of troops in the gar- 
rison, 20 only effected their escape. The British flag 



190 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

was immediately after unfurled, and the enemy had the 
entire commandi of the entrance to the Niagara. 

In the course of the same morning, about 700 Indians 
made an attack upon Levvistown, which was defended by 
a small detachment of militia, under major Bennett, who 
resisted the assailants, until he was entirely surrounded, 
and then desperately cut his way through, with tlie loss 
of 8 men, and eftected his retreat. This village, and 
those of Young's town, ISIanchester, and the Indian Tus- 
carora, were speedily reduced to ashes. Whilst the In- 
dians were engaged in firing Lewistown, major Mallory 
boldly advanced from Schlosser, and attacked their outer 
guard at Lewistown heights, and compelled it to fall back 
to the foot of the mountain. The Indians were soon re- 
inforced, however, and the gallant Mallory was in turn 
obliged to retire. He retreated gradually to Tcmtawanty 
creek, occasionally turning upon, and fighting their ad- 
vance guard, for 2 days; at the end of which time, the 
Indians gave up the pursuit. In these aftairs, major Mal- 
lory lost lieutenant Lowe, of the 23d infantry, and 8 men. 

General M'Clure, having collected nearly 3000 militia 
at BufFaloe, left them under the command of general 
Hall, and repaired to the village of Batavia, about 28 
miles from BufFaloe, to provide for its protection against 
a sally fiom fort Niagara. He had previously sent lieu- 
tenant Riddle to that place, with all the regulars in the 
vicinity, amounting in the whole to 80 men, to secure the 
public arsenal. On his arrival at Batavia, after having 
organized a body of militia there, he ordered the regulars 
back to Buftaloe, to encourage by their example, the un- 
disciplined troops of his division. 

On the 30th (December), the British landed 650 men at 
Black Rock, and immediately proceeded to the village of 
Buftaloe. Before they reached it, however, they were ob- 
stinately opposed by colonel Bleeksly, and 2 or 300 raw 
and undisciplined militia. General Hall had fallen back 
about three miles from Buftaloe, when his force was met 
by lieutenant Riddle and his regulars. The British had 
already entered the villaoe, and the militia fled with the 
greatest precipitation. Riddle oftered to march with his 
regulars in front, and thus to excite the timid militia, to 
repulse the enemy, and diive him from the village. But 
the general, yielding to tl.c unwillingness of the men, de- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 191 

clined the proposal of the regular officer, who, thereupon, 
rode towards the village to reconnoitre. He advanced 
within half a mile of its suburbs, and seeing that with a 
handful of spirited men he could himself save the place 
from destruction, he returned to general Hall, and en- 
treated him to place 200 men under his command, with 
whom he promised at least to rescue the women and chil- 
dren, who would otherwise be sacrificed by the Indians, 
if not to drive out the enemy. General Hall thought this 
plan was impracticable. Lieutenant Riddle, therefore, 
was prevented from attempting it. By the exertion of 
major Staunton and major Norton, each of whom belong- 
ed to the village, about 200 men were collected, and ex- 
pressed their willingness to combat the British and In- 
dians. These were advised, that it was in vain to at- 
tack their enemy, and this advice was sanctioned by die 
general. At length, having become quite indignant at the 
timidity of the militia, lieutenant Riddle took upon him- 
self the responsibility of going forward with his own men, 
and of rescuing as much public property as they could 
Dear away. He entered the upper part of the village, 
where he was informed by a citizen, that colonel Chapin, 
who had long before the flight of the militia, been order- 
ed to take j)0st at Conejockeda creek, had surrendered 
the place to the enemy, under the condition that they 
were to plunder, but not to burn it. The Indians were at 
that moment firing the houses. Lieutenant Riddle, with 
30 men, then took from the arsenal, which had not been 
discovered by the enemy, about 300 stand of arms, and 
some other public property, and having made two Indian 
prisoners, returned to the position occupied by general 
Hall. 

On the following day, January 1st (1814), a small party 
of dragoons were ordered in advance of the whole militia, 
which general Hall marched to the vicinity of the village, 
in order to make a show of force. Captain Stone, who 
commanded the advance, accompanied by lieutenant Rid- 
dle, lieutenant Totman, of the Canadian volunteers, and 
lieutenant Frazer of the 15th regiment, infantry, made 
several prisoners on the margin of the village, and having 
delivered them to the general, the latter immediately or- 
dered his whole force to retire, and called in the advance 
for that purpose. Riddle and Totman, not knomng that 



192 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

the dragoons had fallen back, were left in the near neigh- 
bourhood of the enemy, and upon being discovered by a 
squadron of the British horse, they immediately put spurs 
to their own, and attempted to escape toward the rendez- 
vous of general Hall's brigade. They very soon outstrip- 
ped their pursuers, and were congratulating themselves 
upon their supposed escape, when another squadron of 
the enemy were perceived coming out of the road, lead- 
ing from Black Rock, and directing their course for Buf- 
faloe, between which and that road, Riddle and Totman 
then were. Thus hemmed in, on a narrow highway, 
with a superior enemy in front, and in the rear, they saw 
no probable prospect of escaping, and would have given 
themselves up, but for the treatment which other prison- 
ers on the Niagara had recently received, and the prac- 
tice, which had about this time commenced, of making 
hostages. No alternative seemed to present itself, but 
that of cutting their way through the party in their front; 
and on this they mutually resolved. On their attempting 
to dash through, with violent impetuosity, the whole party 
discharged their pistols at them, one only of which took 
effect, and the unfortunate Totman fell from his horse. 
Riddle cut through with his sword, and having gained their 
rear, pushed his horse through a narrow lane on the left, 
and rode into a thick swamp, terminated by a forest. 
Through this the enemy did not choose to follow him, 
and he arrived at the head quarters of the general on the 
same day, without having met with other obstacles. 

In a few days after, the British evacuated all the posi- 
tions they had captured, except fort Niagara. This, they 
put in a better state of defence, and from it they made 
frequent incursions, which were ever attended by acts of 
violence upon the neighbouring inhabitants. 

The campaign of 1813, in the north, was now drawn to 
its final close ; and though the American arms had attain- 
ed a high degree of reputation, no one advantage was 
obtained, to atone for the blood and treasure, which had 
already been exhausted. The capital of Upper Canada 
had been taken. It was scarcely captured, before it was 
abandoned. The bulwark of the province, fort George, 
had been gallantly carried ; but an inferior foe was suffer- 
ed to escape, after being beaten ; and the conquerors were 
soon after confined to the works of the garrison, and 



OF THE LATE WAIJ. 103 

closely invested upwards of six months. The long con- 
templated attack upon Montreal, was frustrated; King- 
ston still remained, a safe and advantageous harbour, in 
the hands of the enemy; and a fortress, which might have 
been long and obstinately, and effectually defended, was 
yielded, with scarcely a struggle, and under circumstances 
mysterious in the extreme, to the retaliating invaders of 
the American Niagara frontier. In the course of the sum- 
mer of 1813, the American army possessed every posi- 
tion between lake Ontario and lake Erie, on both sides of 
the Niagara. In the winter of the same year, after hav- 
ing gradually lost their possessions on the British side of 
that stream, they were deprived of their possessions on 
their own. Another day may bring forward a develop- 
ment of the causes, which led to such unfavourable re- 
sults; and posterity be enabled to throw the censure on 
the proper object. 



CHAPTER XIIL 

The J\*avy~^The Hornet challenge^ Bonne Citoyenne — Is 
chased from St Salvador' — Fngages and captures the 
sloop of war Peacock — Arrives at JSTew York — Return 
of the frigate Chesapeafce^-^Her cruise — Arrival and 
departure of the President and Congress — Death of 
captain Laivrence, and loss of the Chesapeake — Con- 
duct of the Privateers — Lieutenant St. Clair, in Ches- 
apeake Bay — Fight between the privateer Commodore 
Decatur and the sloop of war Dominica. 

The United States' sloop of war Hornet, having 
challenged to a combat, the British sloop of war Bonne 
Citoyenne, captain Green, who declined an acceptance of 
the invitation, she was left before the port of St. Salva- 
dor, by commodore Bainbridge, with orders to blockade 
the enemy's vessel of war, containing upwards of half a 
million of dollars, and two armed British merchantmen, 
then lying in that harbour. This blockade was vigilant- 

R 



194 HISTORICAl^ SKETCHES* 

ly kept up until the 24th of January, 1813, on which day 
the .Montague 74 hove in sight, and chased the Hornet 
into the harbour, whence, however, she escaped in the 
night. Captain Lawrence, who still commanded her, 
then shifted his cruising ground ; and after having cap- 
tured a vessel of 10 guns, laden with specie, and having 
run down the coast for Maranham, thence oft* Surrinam, 
and thence for Demarara, outside of the bar of the river 
leading to which place, and with the fort bearing S. W. 
about 2 and an half leagues distant from him, he disco- 
vered a man of war brig, which he immediately attempt- 
ed to near, by beating round the Carabana bank. In 
making this eifort, a second sail, of equal size to the 
other, was also discovered, at about half past 3, P. M. 
At 20 minutes past 4, the strange sail, the British sloop 
of war Peacock, captain Peake, of 18 guns, and one 12- 
pounder carronade,a shifting gun, showed the English 
nag, and the Hornet was immediately cleared for action, 
and captain Lawrence made every attempt to get the 
weathergage. The Peacock was edging down fast. All 
the efforts of tlie Hornet to weather lier proved fruitless, 
and at 25 minutes past 5, the American ensign being 
then up, in passing each other, the two vessels exchang- 
ed broadsides withm half pistol shot. The effect of this 
fire on board the ene\Tay's vessel was extremely severe ; 
on board the Hornet n^ loss whatever was sustained. 
The Peacock, being then discovered in the act of wear- 
ing, captaiit Lawrence bore wp, received her starboard 
broadside, run her close on board on the starboard quar- 
ter, and poured into her so heavy, constant, and well di- 
rected a fire, tliat in 15 minutes she surrendered, with 
her hull and rigging totally cut to pieces. At the mo- 
ment of her surrender, she hoisted a signal of distress, 
and in the next moment, her mainmast went by the board. 
Lieutenant Shubrick, whose gallantry, on this occasion, 
was not less conspicuous than in the actions with the 
Guerriere and Java, in each of which he gave unequivo- 
cal proofs, as well of his humanity, as of his bravery, was 
despatched to bring her officers on board the Hornet* — 
He soon returned with her first officer, and a report that 
the captain had been killed in the latter part of the action; 

* This officer was lost in the Epervier. 



OF THE LATE WAR. 195 

that a great number of the crew were either killed or 
wounded, and that she was sinking fast, having already 6 
feet water in her hold. Both vessels were brought to an- 
chor, and all the boats immediately despatched tx) bring 
off the wouAded, and as much of their baggage as could 
be found. All the shot holes which could be got at were 
then plugged, the guns thrown overboard, and every 
possible exertion used to keep her afloat, by pumping 
and bailing, until the prisoners could be removed. All 
efforts appearing to be entirely unavailing, llie body of 
captain Peake was enclosed in his own flag, and the ship 
sunk in 5 and an half fathoms water, carrying down 13 of 
her own, and 3 of the Hornet's crew.* With the utmost 
difficulty, acting lieutenant Conner and midshipman Coo- 
per, who were superintending the removal of the prison- 
ers, eft'ected their escape, by jumping into a boat which 
M^as lying on her booms, at the moment when the Pea- 
cock sunk. 

The loss of the enemy amounted to 33 in wounded, 3 
of whom afterwards died. The number of killed could 
not be ascertained ; but 4 men, besides the captain, were 
found dead on the Peacock's deck; and 4 men in addition 
to the 13 who sunk, were drowned. The loss on board 
the Hornet was 1 man killed, 2 slightly wounded in the 
action, and 2 severely by the bursting of a cartridge. Her 
hull was scarcely injured, though the rigging and sails 
were cut, her foremast pierced through, and her bow- 
sprit slightly wounded. 

The officers and crew of the Hornet were not behind 
those of any other sliip, in emulating the example of 
captain Hull and his brave companions; and the course 
and consequence of this engagement, bore a striking si- 
militude to that with the Guerriere. Acting lieutenants 
Conner and Newton, and midshipmen Cooper, Mayo, 
Getz, Smoot, Tippet, Boerum, and Titus, behaved with 
that bravery, which had now become almost inseparable 
from the American name. Lieutenant Stewart, the 1st 
officer of the ship, wasi^unfortunately too ill to keep the 
deck, and captain Lawrence was therefore deprived of 
the services of a meritorious and valuable officer. 

* These men went on board to save the wounded, the British 
sailors having" refused to assist them. 



196 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

This eno^agement took place in view of the ship of war, 
which lay in Demarara river, the Espeigle ; and captain 
Lawrence being apprehensive that she would beat out to 
the assistance of her consort the Peacock, the greatest ac- 
tivity prevailed on board the Hornet to repair damages, 
as soon as they were sustained, and by 9 o'clock all the 
boats were stowed, new sails bent, and the ship com- 
pletely prepared for another action. The Espeigle, of 
equal forc*^ with the Peacock, did not come out. 

Captain Lawrence's crew had been On 2-3ds allowance 
of provisions for several days, and the number of souls 
now on board amounting to 270, including those of the 
merchant prize, it became necessary that she should re- 
turn to the United States. She shaped her course for 
New York, where she arrived about the 20th of March. 
On the passage her officers divided their clothing with the 
prisoners, who had lost their baggage; the crew of the 
ship gave up each a proportion of theirs to the crew of 
the Peacock; and the private wardrobe of the captain, 
whose attentions to the wants of those, whom the fortune 
of war had placed in his hands, and whose exertions to 
ameliorate their condition were unceasing, was given up 
to her officers. At New York, captain Lawrence was 
received with universal joy; and his reception in other 
cities was similar to that which had been given to other 
naval commanders. 

Many days had not elapsed, after the arrival of the 
Hornet at New York, when the United States' frigate 
Chesapeake, captain Evans, of 36 guns, returned to the 
harbour of Boston, from a cruise of 115 days. During 
that time she had run down by the Madeiras, Canaries, 
and Cape de Verds, and thence down on the equator, 
where she cruised 6 weeks. Hence she proceeded down 
tlie coast of South America, and passed within 15 leagues 
of Surrinam. On the 25th of February, the day after the 
conquest of the Peacock, she passed over the place, at 
which that vessel had been sunk, and thence proceeded 
down by Barbadoes, Antigua, and most of the windward 
islands, thence on the coast of the United States, between 
Bermuda and the capes of Virginia, by the capes of the 
Delaware within 12 leagues, by New York within 20, 
and thence by the east channel to Boston, where she ter- 
minated a cruise on the 10th of April, marked by the cap> 



OP THE LATE WAH. 197 

ture of four valuable merchantmen, the chase of a British 
sloop of war, and an escape from two line of battle ships. 
The command of this ship was then given to captain 
Lawrence, (her late commander, captain Evans, having 
accepted the command of the New York station) and di- 
rections were immediately given to repair, and equip her 
for another cruise. Commodore Rodgers had returned 
to that port also from a cruise, in which, though he did 
not capture any armed ship of the enemy, he drew from 
the coast such of his public vessels as were destined to 
blockade the different ports, and saved to the mercantile 
interest of the country many millions of dollars. The 
President and Congress were at that time the only ves- 
sels of his squadron. To keep these in port, the British 
frigates Shannon and Tenedos, each being of the largest 
class, appeared off the entrance to the harbour of Boston, 
and sent in frequent reports of their size, strength, and 
armament. Early in the month of May, however, com- 
modore Rodgers put to sea; but the British frigates 
avoided him by sailing from the coast. In the course of 
that month, the Shannon returned to the mouth of the 
harbour, and her commander, commodore Brooke, sent 
in a challenge, to the commander of the frigate Chesa- 
peake. This challenge was not received by captain Law- 
rence, but his ship being then in readiness, he understood 
the menacing manceuvres of the Shannon to be an invita- 
tion, and on the first of June (1814), with a crew almost 
in a state of mutiny, and unacquainted with their new cap- 
tain, and without his full complement of officers, his first 
lieutenant. Page, being sick on shore, he sailed out to 
meet, and give battle to the hostile ship. The Shannon 
sailed from the bay, and put to sea, the Chesapeake, fol- 
lowing in chase, seven miles astern At half past 4, the 
Shannon hove to, with her head to the southward and east- 
ward ; and at half past 5, the Chesapeake hauled up her 
courses, and was closing fast with the enemy. At 15 mi- 
nutes before 6, he commenced the action by firing his after 
guns On the starboard side, when the Chesapeake gave 
him a broadside; this was succeeded by a broadside from 
the Shannon, which killed the sailing master, Mr. White, 
and many of the crew, and wounded captain Lawrence; 
he refused to quit tRe deck, however, and ordered a second 
broadside, the return to which, wounded the captain a se- 

R2 



198 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

cond time, and killed the fourth lieutenant, Ballard, and 
lieutenant Broom of the marines. The Chesapeake then 
ranged ahead of the Shannon, when her jib sheet, the 
slings of her fore top sail yard, her spanker brails, and 
her bow lines and braces, being cut, she luffed into the 
wind, and took" aback, and fell with her quarter foul of 
the Shannon's starboard anchor. This accident gave a 
decided advantage to the enemy, and enabled him to 
rake the Chesapeake. Captain Lawrence was all this 
while on deck, still persisting in his refusal to go below, 
when, having called for the boarders, he received a mus- 
ket ball through the body, and in a languishing state was 
carried down. At this moment the ship was deprived of 
all her principal officers; the first lieutenant, Augustus C. 
Ludlow, had been mortally wounded ; several of the mid- 
shipmen and petty officers, besides the fourth lieutenant 
and the commanding officer of marines, were either killed 
or wounded, and the command of the ship devolved on 
her third lieutenant, Budd. The bravery and seamanship 
of this officer, being already known to the crew, some 
hope remained of saving the ship, and of capturing the 
superior enemy. But, as lieutenant Budd ascended the 
spar deck, an arm chest on the quarter was blown up, by 
a hand grenade, thrown from the Shannon's tops. The 
boarders very soon followed lieutenant Budd, but before 
diey reached the deck, captain Brooke had determined 
that the Chesapeake could only be carried by boarding, 
and having already so many shot between wind and water 
in his own ship, that he became apprehensive of her sink- 
ing, he threw his marines on the Chesapeake's quarter 
deck, and headed them himself. Lieutenant Budd im- 
mediately gave orders to haul on board the fore tack, for 
the purpose of shooting the ship clear of the Shannon, and 
of attempting to capture captain Brooke, who had then a 
number of his crew on board the Chesapeake. On this 
eifort the fate of the ship depended, and most of the Ame- 
rican crew, mindful of the dying words of their gallant 
commander, whose injunction on them was, " DonH give 
up the shipy" several times attempted to succeed in it : 
but the boatswain having mutinied, and persuaded many 
of the men, who were dissatisfied at not having received 
their prize money of the last cruise, to join him below ; 
the few who r€;mained firm to their duty, were soon over-- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 199 

powered ; and lieutenant Budd, being wounded and thrown 
down to the gun deck, in attempting to gain the quarter, 
the scheme entirely failed, and the enemy gained com- 
plete possession of the upper deck. A great proportion 
of the crew, who had escaped a wound, nevertheless con- 
tinued fighting; and captain Brooke, as he was crossing 
the ship, was shot through the neck by the Chesapeake's 
chaplain, Livermore, whom he instantly cut down ; but 
he, almost, as soon, received a wound in the head, and 
was then transferred to his own ship. The enemy's crew 
were now commanded by lieutenant Watt, who stabbed 
and cut down the wounded and vanquished, without re- 
gard to their cries of surrender. He was killed on the 
Chesapeake's deck, according to one account, by one of 
the Shannon's sailors, as he was placing, by mistake, the 
American over the English ensign; according to another, 
by an American sailor in the main top, when in the act 
of killing a wounded marine. The enemy had now the 
entire possession of the Chesapeake ; the English flag was 
flying at the different mast heads, yet they continued to 
shoot at, and otherwise to wound, her sailors. A volley 
of musketry was fired by them, down upon the wounded, 
and one of the American midshipmen was assailed by a 
British marine with g-reat violence, after his submission 
to the Shannon's commander. 

In this engagement, the result of which is attributed to 
many fortuitous events, the superiority of the American 
gunnery was clearly evinced. The Chesapeake fired two 
guns to one of the enemy, and pierced the Shannon's sides 
in so many places, that she was kept afloat with very great 
difficulty ; whilst, on the other side, the Shannon's broad- 
sides scarcely injured the hull of the Chesapea*ke. At 
long shot the engagement might have terminated differ-, 
ently ; though the captain and crew were strangers to each 
other, the ship just out of port, and not in a fighting con- 
dition, and many of the sailors quite raw. Her rate was 
36 guns, her force 48. The rate of the Shannon was 38, 
her force '49 ; and in addition, to her own crew, she had 
on board, 16 chosen men from the Bella Poule, and part 
of the crew of the Tenedos. She lost in the engagement, 
besides her first lieutenant, the captain's clerk, the purser 
and 23 seamen, killed ; and, besides her captain, one mid- 
shipman and 56 seamen, wounded. On boaid the Chesa- 



200 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

peake, the captain, the first and fourth lieutenants, the 
lieutenant of marines, the master, midshipmen Hopewell, 
Livingston, Evans, and about 70 men, were killed : and 
the second and third lieutenants, the chaplain, midship- 
men Weaver, Abbott, NichoUs, Berry, and nearly 80 
men, wounded. The greater proportion of this loss was 
sustained, after the enemy had gained the deck of the 
Chesapeake. 

Soon after the termination of the action, the two ships 
were steered for Halifax, where the i)odies of captain 
Lawronce, and his gallant officers slain in the battle, were 
committed to the grave with the usual honours, attended 
by all the civil, naval anfl military officers, of the two na- 
tions, who happened to be in that port. 

Not long after these honourable funeral obsequies had 
been performed by the enemy, captain George Crownin- 
shield, brother to the present secretary of the navy, actu- 
ated by the laudable desire of restoring the body of the 
lamented Lawrence to his country and his friends, re-* 
quested and obtained permission of the president, to pro- 
ceed in a flag vessel to Halifax, at his individual expense, 
for that purpose. The commanding officer of the British 
squadron, at that time blockading the eastern ports, sir 
Thomas Hardy, readily assented to the free passage of 
captain Crowninshield's brig, and he accordingly proceed- 
ed to effisct his object, accompanied by twelve masters 
of vessels, who volunteered to compose the crew. The 
body was brought to the port of Salem, and entombed 
with the remains of its ancestors in New York, where the 
highest funeral honours were paid by the citizens, as a 
tribute of their respect and admiration to their late gal- 
lant countryman. 

The private armed vessels of the United States, the 
number of which had greatly increased since the account 
given of them in a foregoing chapter of these sketches, 
were still cruising over the Atlantic, continually captur- 
ing, and otherwise annoying the commerce of the enemy, 
and occasionally engaging- some of his public ships, m 
such gallant combats, as are entitled, and ought to be re- 
gistered among the accounts of the most brilliant naval 
exploits. 

The Comef, captain Boyle, of 14 guns and 120 men, being 
off Pernambuco.on the 14th January (1814), discovered 4 



OF THE LATE WAR. 201 

sail standing out of that place. This squadron consisted 
of 3 English merchantmen: the sliip George, capt. Wil- 
son, of 14 guns, and the brigs Gambier, captain Smith, 

and Bowes; captain , of 10 guns each, who were 

bound to Europe, under the protection of the fourth ves- 
sel, a Portuguese national ship of 32 guns, and 165 men. 
The latter having exhibited the colours of her nation, 
captain Boyle stood for her, and received a communica- 
tion of her character and object, accompanied by an in- 
junction not to molest the merchantmen. Considering 
that the Portuguese had no right to aftbrd protection to a 
British vessel, in the nature of a convoy, captain Boyle 
informed her commander of his determination to capture 
them if he possibly could, and immediately sailed in pur- 
suit. As they kept close together, the Comet opened her 
fire upon the 3 merchantmen, who returned it with ala- 
crity. The man of war delivered a heavy fire of round 
and grape, and received in turn a broadside. The Eng- 
lish occasionally separated from each other, to give the 
Portuguese a chance of crippling the Comet, whose cap- 
tain, however, kept as near as possible to the merchant- 
men. Frequent broadsides were discharged, as oppor- 
tunities varied, at the whole squadron, whose collected 
force amounted to 54 guns, and in a few minutes the ship 
George struck her colours in a sinking condition. Soon 
after, the brig Bowes struck also ; but a broadside from 
the man of war prevented the Comet's boat from taking 
possession. Captain Boyle then repeated his attack upon 
the Portuguese, and obliged her to sheer oft*, with the loss 
of her 1st lieutenant and 5 men killed, and her captain 
and several men wounded. The third merchantman, 
the Gambler, then also surrendered, and the brig Bowes 
was immediately taken possession of. So much were 
the others injured, that captain Boyle deemed it improper 
to board them, and determined to lay to until morning, 
it being by this time excessively dark. Between the Por- 
tuguese and the Comet, several broadsides were ex- 
changed in the course of the night, without any material 
eftect. On the following morning, the man of war gave 
signal to the other ships to make the first port, and stood 
off herself with that view. The Comet brought her prize 
into the United States, making her way through a squa- 
dron which was blockading the southern ports. Before 



20a HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

she arrived, however, she captured the Mexis, and Domi- 
nica packet, each of 10 guns, and the Merdeen of 8, in 
the presence of a British sloop of war, who was, at the 
same time, in full chase of the privateer. 

On the 1st of February, the schooner Hazard, captain 
Le Chartier, of 3 guns, and 38 men, captured the ship 
Mhion, of 12 guns, and 15 men, being one of a convoy 
for Europe. On the 23d, she was re-captured by the 
cutter Caledonia, of 8 guns, and 38 men, from New Pro- 
vidence. Three days after, the Hazard fell in with both, 
engaged, and after an action of several minutes, compell- 
ed both to strike, but took possession of the prize only 
and carried her into St. Mary's. The Caledonia was very 
much injured, and most of her crew either killed or 
wounded. On board the Hazard, the 1st lieutenant and 
6 men were slightly wounded, but the hull and rigging 
were severely shattered by the grape from the two ves- 
sels. 

The private armed schooner General Armstrong, cap- 
tain Champlin, of 18 guns, being within 5 leagues of the 
mouth of Surrinam river, on the 11th of March, discover- 
ed a large sail to be at anchor under the land. The crew 
of the General Armstrong supposed her to be an English 
letter of marque, and consequently, captain Champlin 
bore down,, with an intention of giving her a starboard 
and larboard broadside, and then to board her. The stran- 
ger, in the mean time, had got sail on her, and was stand- 
ing out for the American. Both vessels, thus approach- 
ing each other, had come within gun-shot, (the English- 
man firing the guns on !iis main deck,) when the General 
Armstrong discharged both the contemplated broadsides, 
and discovered, too late, that her antagonist was a heavy 
frigate. She nevertheless kept up her fire, though attempt- 
ing to get away, but in ten minutes she was silenced by 
the enemy. Tiie last shot of the General Armstrong 
brought down the enemy's colours, by cutting away her 
mizen gaff, haulyards, and her mizen and main stay; and, 
captain Champlin, presuming that she had struck, made 
preparations to possess her; but the frigate opened ano- 
ther heavy fire upon the schooner, killed 6, and wounded 
the captain and 16 of her men; shot away the fore and 
main shrouds, pierced the mainmast and bowsprit, and 
struck her several times between wind and water. In 



OF THE LATE WAR. 203 

this condition, she laid upwards of 45 minutes, within 
pistol shot of the frigate; but, by the extraordinary exer- 
tions of the crew, and the aid of sweeps, she got out of 
the enemy's reach, and arrived at Charleston on the 4th 
of April. 

On the 3d of that month, the privateer Dolphin, of 10 
guns, still commanded by captain Staftbrd, who had en- 
gaged and captured two of the enemy's vessels, mounting 
26 guns, was attacked at the mouth of the Rappahannock 
river, by 17 barges from a British squadron. The barges 
carried upwards of 40 men each: the Dolphin was man- 
ned by 60. I'wo letters of marque, laying there also, 
soon yielded, but captain Stafford resolved on defending 
his vessel. The battle continued two hours, when the 
enemy succeeded in boarding. The Dolphin's crew 
fought with great desperation on her deck, and the engage- 
ment was kept up many minutes longer, before the ves- 
sel was captured. The enemy took down her colours, 
and lost, in killed and wounded, nearly 50 men. On 
board the Dolphin, 4 men were wounded. 

At a harbour near Gwinn's Island, lieutenant St. Clair 
of the navy, who had previously distinguished himself as 
an able seaman, in the sloop of war Argus, anchored a 
small schooner, mounting two or three guns, and filled 
with" armed men, to repel the depredations which the en- 
emy were, about that time, committing along the shores 
of the Chesapeake. He encountered a schooner, who 
hailed and ordered him to come on board with his boat, 
which being refused, an engagement followed, and ter- 
minated in silencing the strange vessel. She, however, 
renewed it, a second and a third time, and was as often 
silenced. The night was excessively dark, and when 
lieutenant St. Clair sent his boat to take possession, he 
discovered that she had made her escape, leaving him 
with one man wounded on board the schooner. 

This succession of sea engagements, was closed by a 
brilliant attack, made by a privateer upon a sloop of war. 
The schooner Commodore Decatur, of 10 guns, com- 
manded by captain Dominique, eno;aged the sloop of war 
Dominica, lieutenant commandant Barret, of 14 guns, and 
after a well contested action, carried her by boarding, 
and brought her into the United States. No event, pro- 
bably, in the naval annals, furnishes evidence of a more 



204 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

brilliant and decisive victory, gained by a vessel so infe- 
rior in size, strength, and armament, to her antagonist. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Blockade of the Delaware River, and of Chesapeake Bay 
— Attack upon Lewistoiviiy on the former — Affair be- 
low Lewistown — Repulse of the enemy near Morris 
River — The gun boats attack two frigates — Engage- 

• ment on the Delaware — Depredations in Chesapeake 
Bay — Frequent failures of the. enemy to land — Affair 
at Frenchtown — Destruction of Havre de Grace, and 
of Georgetoivn and Fredericktoivn — Blockade of other 
ports — Loss of the Revenue Cutter, Surveyor— -Action 
betiveen the gun boats and three frigates — Defence of 
Crany Island — Hampton assaulted, and plundered. 

The declaration of war against Great Britain, was 
no sooner made known at that court, than its ministers 
determined on sending into their provinces of Canada, the 
veteran regiments of their army; and adopted effectual 
measures to forward to the coast of the American states, 
a naval force competent to blockade its principal bays 
and rivers. Incensed at the successes of the American 
naval arms, ■ over the frigates and sloops of war. of their 
nation, they hastened the departure of their different 
fleets ; and, in retaliation for the invasion of their provin- 
ces by the American troops, instructed their commanders 
to burn and otherwise to destroy, not only the coasting 
and river craft, but the towns and villages oai the navi- 
gable inlets; and more particularly in the southern de- 
partments of the union. Early in the spring of 1 813, de- 
tachments of these fleets arrived at the mouth of the De- 
laware, and at the entrance to the Chesapeake bay. — 
Others were to rendezvous at Bermuda, and thence to 
proceed to the reinforcement of the blockading squadrons. 
In the month of March, the Poictiers, 74, commodore 
Beresford ; the frigate Belvidere, and several smaller ves- 
sels of war, entered the bay of Delaware, and destroyed 



or THE LATE WAK. 1^0^ 

great numbers of small trading vessels. In tiie course of 
that month, they were repeatedly repulsed in their at- 
tempts to capture others wliich lay near the shore, by the 
militia of Delaware; and several instances occurred of 
sharp fighting, which tended to improve the discipline of 
the volunteers of that state. 

A demand was made upon the people of Lewis town, 
for a supply of provisions for the blockading squadron, 
which bemg spiritedly refused, on the 6th of April, sir 
John P. Beresford directed captain Byron, to move as 
near the town, with the Belvidere, as the water would 
permit him, and, having first notified its inhabitants, to 
bombard it, until his demands were complied with. On 
the night of the 6th, the bombardment accordingly took 
place; the enemy's gun boats approached near enough 
to throw their 32-pound balls into the town, but their 
bombs fell far short of their object. Colonel Davis, who 
commanded at that time, had already removed the women 
and children, and returned the enemy's fire from an 18- 
pounder battery, with which, in a few minutes, he effectual- 
ly silenced one of the gun boats. The cannonade continued^ 
nearly 20 hours ; at the end of which time, the enemy 
drew off his vessels and descended the bay, having dis- 
charged upwards of 600 shot, shells and Congreve rock- 
ets. The shells did not reach the town"; the rockets 
passed over it; but the 32-pounders injured several of the 
houses. The Poictiers and the Belvidere, sailed out of 
the bay for Bermuda. 

The Spartan fngate, having entered the Delaware soon 
after the departure of this squadron, attempted, on tlie 
31st of the same month, to land about 60 of her men near 
Morris's river, on the Jersey side, with a view to obtain 
provisions. A small party of the militia of that state, 
however, hastily collected and drove them off, before 
they had an opportunity of visiting the farmers' houses. 

In the month of June, the frigate Statira, and the sloop 
of war Martin, reinforced the enemy, and had captured 
many large merchant vessels bound up the Delaware. 
The whole trade between the capes and Philadelphia, and 
many of the intermediate places, was liable to be inter- 
cepted; and, unless they were protected by a convoy, 
the small vessels usually employed on the river, did not 
attempt to sail. On the 23d, a squadron of 9 gun boats, 

S 



5206 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

and 2 armed sloops, under lieutenant commandant An- 
"•us, of the navy, convoyed 3 sloops, laden with timber 
for a 44, then building at Philadelphia, under the eye of 
the enemy. The gun boats engaged the two frigates, 
whilst the sloops effected their passage, and the Statira 
and S]:artan moved from their anchorage to a situation 
out of reach of annoyance. 

A merchant sloop, having entered the bay on the 22d 
of July, on her return from sea, was cut off by the Martin 
sloop of war, which had just reappeared in the Delaware. 
The sloop ran aground to avoid capture; and although 
she was afterwards attacked by a tender and 4 barges 
well manned and armed, a hasty collection of militia with 
1 field piece, under lieutenant Townsend, drove off her 
assailants, and saved the sloop. 

A detachment of the gun boat flotilla, being at this time 
but a few miles off, were apprised of the attack made by 
the sloop of war, and captain Angus immediately pro- 
ceeded down the bay, with 8 gunboats and 2 block 
sloops. On the 29th, he discovered the Martin grounded 
slightly on the outer ridge of Crow's shoals, and deter- 
mining to attack her in that situation, he anchored his 
squadron within three quarters of a mile of the enemy, 
and opened a fire from the whole line. The Junon fri- 
gate came up to the assistance of the sloop of war, and 
anchored within half a mile below her. Between both of 
the enemy's vessels, mounting in all 69 guns, and the 
gun boat squadron, a cannonade followed, and continued 
about 1 hour and 45 minutes; in all which time, scarcely 
a shot struck either of the gun boats, whilst at almost 
every fire, the latter told upon the hulls of the sloop and 
frigate. This difference of effect in the firing being dis- 
covered by the British, they manned their launches, bar- 
ges, and cutters, 10 in number, and despatched them to 
cut off the boats on the extremity of the line. No. 121, a 
boat commanded by sailing master Shead, which, by some 
accident, had fallen a very great distance out of the line, 
and was prevented from recovering its situation by a 
strong ebb, and the wind dying away, became the object 
of attack from the enemy's barges. 8 of them, mounting 
among them three 12-pound carronades, and carrying 150 
men, assailed the gun boat at one time. Mr. Shead con- 
tinued, nevertheless, to sweep her towards the squadron. 



*■ OF THE JLATE WAR. 207 

and to discharge his 24-pounder alternately, at one or the 
other of the pursuing barges, until they gained so fast up- 
on him, that he resolved to anchor his boat and receive 
them as warmly as the disparity of numbers would per- 
mit him. He then gave them a discharge of his great gun, 
with much etfect, though to the injury of the piece, which 
being fired a second time, and the carriage breaking down, 
it became necessary to oppose tlie enemy, who were 
closing fast, by the boarders. With these, Mr. Shead 
resisted them, until his deck was covered with men, and 
the vessel entirely surrounded by the barges. Such was 
the impetuous fury of the English sailors, that the Ame- 
ricans were driven below, and the authority of the ene- 
Tny's officers could scarcely protect them from violence. 
The flag was struck, and the boat carried oft* in triumph 
to the men of war. In this assault, the British lost 7 kill- 
ed and 12 wounded. On board the boat, 7 men were 
wounded, but none killed. The squadron was all this 
time firing at the enemy's ships, who retired after captur- 
ing Mr. Shead, the Martin having been extricated from 
her situation on the shoal. On board the fiotilla not a man 
was injured, and but 1 of the boats* rigging cut; this was 
No. 125, commanded by sailing master Moliere. The 
engagement continued nearly two hours, and was the 
last aftair, of any consequence, which occurred in the 
Delaware during this year. 

In, and along, the shores of the bay of Chesapeake, 
where the blockading squndron consisted of four 74's, se- 
veral frigates and large sloops of war, and a number of 
tenders and barges kept for the purpose of navigating the 
smallest inlets, depredations of every kind, and to a very 
extensive degree, were carried on with unremitted avidi- 
ty. The various farms, bounded by the different creeks 
and rivers, tributary to the bay, became the scenes of 
indiscriminate and unjustifiable plunder. The stocks of 
many of them were completely destroyed; the slaves of 
the planters allured from their service, armed against their 
masters' defenceless families, and encouraged to the com- 
mission of every kind of pillage. Along a coast of such 
an extent, it was almost impossible to station troops to re- 
sist every incursion, or to draw out, and transfer from 
one point to another with sufficient celerity, even the 
neighbouring militia. But many instances occurred, not- 



i>08 HISTORICAI. SKETCHES 

withstanding, in which the invaders were opposed, and 
sometimes severely repulsed, by a handful of militia, col- 
lected without authority, and frequently without a leader. 
On tlie shores of the Rappahannock, one or two divisions 
of the enemy were beaten and routed with loss, by a small 
party of Virginia militia. In the neighbourhood of Easton, 
(Maryland,) they took possession of several islands. 
From Sharp's, Tilghman's, and Poplar island, they ob- 
tained provisions for the fleet, and attempted many incur- 
sions to the opposite shores, their success in which was 
prevented by bodies of cavalry and infantry, which the 
spirited citizens of Maryland had arranged, at different 
rendezvous, along the shores of the bay, in anticipation of 
a visit from the blockading fleet. 

The commanding oflicer of the fleet, sir John B. War- 
ren, was at this time in Bermuda, making prepai*ations 
for its augmentation; and the vessels then in the bay, 
were commanded by rear admiral George Cockburn. 
About the latter end of April, this officer determined on 
attacking and destroying the towns most contiguous to 
the head of the bay; and for this purpose, on the 29th, 
he led a few hundred of his marines, in the barges of his 
ship, the Marlborough, to the attack of Frenchtown, a 
place containing 2 dwelling houses, 2 store-houses, and 
several stables ; and important, only because of being a 
place of intermediate depot between Baltimore and Phi- 
ladelphia. A party of militia, from Elkton, too inferior 
to the invaders to justify an attempt at resistance, retired 
on their approach, and admiral Cockburn landed his ma- 
rines and destroyed the store-houses, in which were de- 
posited a quantity of goods belonging to merchants of 
those cities, of immense value, and a splendid architec- 
tural drop curtain and other paintings, belonging to the 
Pliiladelphia and Baltimore theatres. The marines being 
no professed admirers of the arts, these were destroyed 
without much hesitation. The private houses were saved 
by tlie interference of some respectable citizens; and af- 
ter plundering the others, and setting fire to two vessels 
laying in the harbour, the British returned to their ship- 

Havre de Grace, a small town containing about sixty 
houses, situated on the west side of the Susquehanna, 
about two miles from the head of the bay, and through 



OF Tl^E LATE WAR. 209 

which the great post road passes, was the next object in 
the plan of the admiral's operations. On the morning of 
the 3d of May (1813), he proceeded to its assault, with 19 
barges; and when within a short distance of the town, 
commenced a tremendous bombardment, accompanied by 
the filing of cannon and the discharge of numerous rock- 
ets. In expectation of an attack from the enemy, a bat- 
tery had been erected, of two 6 pounders and one 9, and 
colonel Smith ordered out a detachment of the Hartford 
county militia fw the defence of the place. At the time 
of the assault, the inhabitants were in their beds; and 
there being no sentinels, the first notice they had of the 
approach of the enemy, was from the discharge of one of 
his pieces. The battery had been assigned as a place of 
rendezvous, in the event of an attack : but, such was the 
surprise which the presence of the enemy excited, and so 
incessant his discharges of shells and rockets, that five or 
six men only, were fearless enough to repair to their breast- 
work, and resist the approaches of the British barges. This 
small party kept up a fire from the battery, until the ene- 
my*s advance commenced its debarkation ; when all, ex- 
cept O'Neill, an Irishman, abandoned their posts, and fol- 
lowing the militia, who had fled with shameful precipita- 
tion, left the women and children of the place, to the 
mercy of the invaders. O'Neill continued, with great dif- 
ficulty^ to discharge one of the 6 pounders, until, in recoil- 
ing, it ran over his thigh, and rendered him incapable of 
further resistance in that way. But, collecting all his 
strength, he armed himself with two muskets, and retreat- 
ed from the battery to the centre of the town, where he 
joined Mr. Bennet Barns, an old and respectable native 
of Maryland, and kept up a brisk fire, until they were 
both made prisoners. In the mean time, the whole body 
of the enemy had landed, and were actively engaged in 
destroying the houses. They set tire to those vyhich had 
not been injured by their shells, broke the furniture, and 
cut open the bedding of the citizens to augment the flames; 
destroyed the public stages, cut to pieces the private bag- 
gage of the passengers, tore the clothing of some of the 
inhabitants from their backs, and left to others those only 
which they wore. They set fire also to a house in which 
was a woman who had been all her life a cripple, and then 
but a few days delivered of child. To the urgent suppiica- 

S2 



210 HISTORICAI. SKliTCHES 

tion of this hapless being, for protection from the flameia 
for herself and her offspring, they gave a brutal refusal, 
uttered too in the most indecorous language. To the hu- 
manity of some neighbour she was ultimately indebted for 
her lite.* Women and children, flying, in every direc- 
tion, to avoid a relentless foe, and to seek protection from 
their own countrymen, were insulted by the morose sea- 
men and marines; and the only house (of Mark Pringle, 
esq.) which yet remained entirely uninjured, was sought 
by one and all, as an asylum. In this, which was a spa- 
cious and elegant private mansion, several ladies of the 
first distinction had taken refuge, and among them the 
mother and sisters of commodore Rodgers, whose house 
and furniture were much injured. An officer, who had 
just before made prisoner of O'Neill, was entreated to suf- 
fer this house, at least, to escape the general conflagra- 
tion; but, as he was obeying the orders of admiral Cock- 
burn, the most he could do, was to suspend his purpose, 
until those unprotected women could prevail upon the ad- 
miral to countermand them. The only act, partaking of 
the least degree of humanity, of which, on this occasion, 
the admiral could boast, was his compliance with these 
earnest entreaties. Having spread desolation through the 
whole town, and destroyed the doors and windows of a 
handsome church contiguous to it, the admiral ordered a 
detachment six miles up the river, to a place called Cres- 
well's Ferry, whence, after committing many acts of out- 
rage, they returned to concentrate their force at the place 
of landing. Here the admiral ordered them to re-embark ; 
and, having crossed the Susquehanna, the whole squadron 
of his barges, made round the point which is formed at its 
entrance, &nd shaped their course three miles further up 
the bay, where the party relanded, repaired to those im- 
portant and valuable works, Coecil furnace, where lay up- 
wards of ^0 pieces of elegant cannon, the only legitimate 
object of destruction which the invaders had yet met with. 
These they spiked, stuffed the muzzles with clay and- 
broken faeces of iron, and after many attempts to burst 

* This fact is well authenticated, and was related to the author 
by a gentleman then an inhabitant of Havre de Grace, but now A 
resident of Plwladelphia, who was in the town at that time. 



0¥ THE LATE WAR. 211 

them, knocked off the loops.* They then proceeded to 
batter down the furnace, which was private property, set 
fire to the stables belonging to it, and, as the last act of 
atrocity, with which this expedition was destined to be 
marked, they tore up a small bridge, constructed over a 
deep, though narrow creek, and over which, travellers of 
every description were obliged to pass, or venture through 
a wider channel at the imminent hazard of their lives. 

Having attained all the objects of this enterprise, the 
British sailors and marines returned to their shipping in 
the bay; and, on the 6th, they sailed from the neighbour- 
hood of Havre de Grace, to the great joy of its distressed 
and ruined inhabitants. O'Neill, who had dared to resist 
them in the early stage of their proceedings, was taken 
on board the blockading fleet, and detained there several 
days. Such of the inhabitants, who were not left entirely 
destitute, were deprived of those articles of property, 
which would relieve others; and, it became necessary to 
apply for assistance to the principal and most opulent 
town of Maryland. The citizens of Baltimore relieved 
the sufferers, and preparations were soon after made to 
rebuild the houses. 

In the relation of such scenes, as those which occurred 
at Havre de Grace, it seldom happens that an account is 
to be given of the killed and wounded in an action. In 
the slight resistance which was made by O'Neill and his 
companions, however, the enemy had three men killed 
and two wounded. Of the militia, one man was killed by 
the explosion of a rocket. 

Fraught with the immense booty which he had brought 
away from Havre de Grace, and finding his sailors and 
marines quite elated at the facility which the prospect of 
an attack on other equally defenceless towns held out, 
of enriching themselves, the rear admiral contemplated 
an early assault upon such as he should discover to con- 
tain the most valuable spoil. The treachery of some ci- 
tizens of the republic, and the easy intercourse which he 
kept up with his appointed agents, such as are employed 
by officers on all stations, enabled him to discover the si- 
tuation of those towns and villages along the bay shore* 

* Some of the same guns are now on board the United Statesf 
frigate Java. 



212 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

with as much readiness, as he could be wafted by his 
ships from one point of assault tb another. On the river 
Sassafras, emptying itself into the bay, at a short sailing 
distance from the admiral's anchorage, and separating the 
counties of Kent and Ccecil, stood, nearly opposite each 
other, the villages of Georgetown and Frederic ktown, 
containing, either of them, about 20 houses. These had 
attracted the attention of admiral Cockburn, and he de- 
termined on the possession of the property of the inhabi- 
tants. On the 6th, he therefore entered that river, with 
18 barges, each carrying 1 great gun, and manned alto- 
gether by 600 men. Fredericktown was his first object. 
At this place, one small cannon had been mounted, and 
about 80 militia collected, under colonel Veazy. On the 
approach of the barges, the latter commenced a heavy 
fire, and, having discharged an immense number of lan- 
grage rockets, grape shot, and musket balls, within a 
very few minutes, more than one half of the militia fled. 
35 only, under the colonel, stood their ground, and work- 
ed the cannon with such skill, that the boats, whose fire 
was principally directed at the battery, suffered very se- 
verely. The invaders were gallantly resisted more than 
half an hour, when they effected a landing, and march- 
ing towards the town compelled the militia to retire. — 
Colonel Veazy effected his retreat, in excellent order. 
Admiral Cockburn then marched at the head of his men, 
to the village ; where, after having plundered the houses 
of their most valuable moveables, he set fire to every 
building in the town. The entreaties of the distressed 
women and children availed not with the admiral; and 
he would not quit the place, until he had entirely deprived 
them of every refuge. Whilst the flames were raging in 
every part of Frederick, the admiral moved over Sassa- 
fras river, to Georgetown, and demolished all the stone, 
and burned the wooden buildings. The wretched inha- 
bitants of the opposite towns, were left to console each 
other, and the enemy's squadron of barges, glutted with 
fresh spoil, retired to their shipping. 

Succeeding this affair, were several repulses of small 
parties of the enemy from the shores of the bay. Many 
attempts were made to land at the different farms, and 
the bar^e crews frequently assailed the planters* houses, 
and tooK oflf provisions, clothing, money and plate. 



aF THE LATE WAiS* £13 

About this time, too, admiral Warren issued a procla- 
mation from Bermuda, declaring, besides the Chesapeake 
and Delaware, the ports of New York, Charleston, Port 
Royal, Savannah, and the whole of the river Mississippi, 
to be in a state of rigorous blockade. From all these 
ports, however, notwithstanding the efficiency of admi- 
ral Warren's force, the public ships of war of the United 
States, the private armed vessels, and numerous mer- 
chantmen, were daily putting to sea. Prizes to these, 
which had been captured at immense distances from the 
coast, were continually sent into the harbours, declared 
to be blockaded ; and neutral vessels did not hesitate, to 
enter and depart, at the pleasure of those concerned in 
them. Admiral Warren, shortly after arrived in the 
Chesapeake, with an additional fleet, and a large immber 
of soldiers and marines, uiider general sir Sidney Beck- 
with. Between these officers and admiral Cockburn, va- 
rious plans were designed for the attack of the more im- 
portant assailable towns. 

By the capture of the bay craft, they were well sup- 
plied with tenders to the different vessels of the fleet, and 
the strength of their armament enabled them to equip the 
craft in a warlike manner- The revenue cutter Surveyor, 
captain Travis, was assailed by the barges and tender of 
the Narcissus frigate, on the 10th of June, near York 
river; and, after a gallant resistance, was capture^! by a 
force nine times superior to her own. This cutte^r^was 
transferred to the British service, and frequently employ- 
ed in penetrating the narrow passes and rivulets along 
the shore. The depredations of the enemy received, about 
this time, however, a salutary check, from several private 
armed vessels, v/liich had been hired into the American 
service, to cruise along the bay. 

The enemy's force there consisted of seven 74's, twelve 
frigates, and many smaller vessels; and, from their suspi- 
cious movements, and menacing attitudes, the citizens of 
all the surrounding towns, became apprehensive of an at- 
tack. Hampton and Norfolk, were thought to be their 
more immediate objects ; and preparations were made at 
the latter, to man all the works which had been previous- 
ly constructed. At Norfolk, the militia force very soon 
consisted of 10,000 men. At Hampton a force of not 
more than 450, had yet been organized. 



^14 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

On the 18th (May), 3 of the frigates entered Hamptoiii 
Roads, and despatched several barges to destroy the small 
vessels coming down James' river. Two or three gun boats 
being in the vicinity of that river, obliged the barges to 
retire, and communicated to the naval commander of the 
station, commodore Cassin, intelligence of the approach 
of the frigates. The flotilla of gun boats, in Elizabeth 
river, on which Norfolk is situated, was then commanded 
by lieutenant commandant Tarbell. The frigate Constel- 
lation was moored at the navy yard opposite Norfolk, 
and it was determined by commodore Cassin, to man 
fifteen of the gun boats, from the crew of the Constella- 
tion, and to despatch them against that frigate of the 
enemy, which was reported to be three miles ahead of 
the others. On the 19th, captain Tarbell proceeded with 
his boats, in two divisions; lieutenant Gardner having 
command of the first, and lieutenant R. Henly, of the 
second. The prevalence of adverse winds, prevented 
his coming within reach of the enemy, until 4 P. M. of 
the 20th, at which hour he stationed his divisions, and 
commenced a rapid fire, at the distance of three quarters 
of a mile. The frigate opened on the boats, and the can- 
nonade continued half an hour, to the great injury of the 
frigate (the Junon), when the other frigates were enabled, 
by a fresh breeze, to get under v/eigh, to the assistance 
of their companion. Captain Tarbell was then obliged 
to haul otf to a greater distance, still, however keeping up 
a well directed and incessant fire, upon the enemy's whole 
squadron. The first frigate was, by this time, so much 
injured, that her fire was only occasionally delivered ; 
and, between the others and the gun boats, the cannonade 
was prolonged one hour longer; in which time, several 
heavy broadsides were discharged at the flotilla. Cap- 
tain Tarbell then withdrew from the engagement, with 
the loss of 1 killed, Mr. Allison, a master's mate, and 3 
of the boats slightly injured. The enemy were supposed 
to have suffered severely. The frigate, first engaged, 
was so much shattered, that the vessels which came' to 
her assistance, were obliged to employ all their hands to 
repair her. In this affair, the Americans had 15 guns ; 
the British, 150 and upwards. Captain Tarbell's con- 
duct, as well as lieutenants Gardner, Henly, and others. 



|pF THE tATE WAE. 21B 

received the fullest approbation of the surrounding garri- 
sons, and of the citizens of Norfolk. 

The tiring during this action, being distinctly heard by 
the enemy's fleet in the bay, and fears being entertained 
by the admiral, about the safety of the 3 frigates, 13 sail 
of line of battle ships and frigates, were ordered to 
proceed to Hampton Roads. In the course of the 20th, 
they dropped to the mouth of James' river, where they 
learned the cause of the recent cannonade, and determin- 
ed on forthwith reducing the forts and garrisons, on which 
the defence of Norfolk depended. An immense number 
of barges were apparently preparing for an attack on Crany 
Island, the nearest obstruction to the enemy's advances. 
Captain Tarbell directed lieutenants Neale, Shubrick, 
and Saunders, each of the Constellation, to land 100 sea- 
men on that island, to man a battery on its northwest 
side, and disposed the gun boats so as to annoy the ene- 
my from the other. At the dawn of the 22d, the British 
approached the island with their barges, round the point 
of Nansemond river, to the number of about 4,000 men, 
many of whom were French, from time to time made 
prisoners by the English, and occasionally received into 
their service. The place at which they had chosen to 
land, was out of reach of the gun boats, and when 
they had approached within a few hundred yards of the 
shore, the gallant lieutenant Neale, assisted by Shubrick 
and Saunders, opened a galling fire from his battery, and 
compelled the enemy to make a momentary pause. The 
battery was manned altogether by 150 men, including 
lieutenant Breckenridge and his marines. An 1 8-pounder 
which was stationed at it, was fired with such precision, 
that many of the barges were cut through the middle, and 
would inevitably have carried down the crew, but for the 
immediate assistance rendered by the others of the squa- 
dron. Every attempt to approach the shore having here- 
tofore failed, and the admiral's boat, the Centipede, up- 
wards of 50 feet in length, and filled with men, being 
pierced in so many places, that she sunk as soon as she 
was abandoned, the enemy, whose seamen were falling 
in every barge, determined on returning to his shipping 
with as little delay as possible. But, even in his retreat^ 
' he suffered severely from the small battery. 



216 HISTORIC Ali SKETClJji;? 

Whilst this gallant resistance was made to Ins approach- 
es from the water, by the naval division on the island, the 
enemy's troops, who had landed on the main shore, and 
crossed a narrow inlet to the west side, were warmly en- 
gaged with the Virginia volunteers. Previously to the 
movement of the barges, upwards of 800 soldiers had 
been landed by the enemy at the place abovementioned, 
and were already crossing the inlet, which, at low water, 
is passable by infantry. Colonel Beatty, who command- 
ed the military division on the island, made instant and 
judicious preparations to receive the en^my. Under major 
Faulkner, of the artillery, two 24-pounders and four 
6-pounders, had been drawn up to resist them. One divi- 
sion of this battery was commanded by captain Emmer- 
son ; and two others, by lieutenants Howl and Godwin. 
The enemy's troops had not all landed, when this cannon 
was opened upon them with great address; and, those 
which had not crossed the gulph, were compelled to re- 
treat, by the velocity and precision of the fire. Those 
which had already gained the island, fell back to its rear, 
and threw several rockets from a house which stood there; 
but- they were very soon dislodged by one of the gun boats, 
in which a 24-pounder was brought to bear upon the house, 
and with great difficulty escaped from the island; when, 
joining the troops who had been previously repulsed, they 
were all conducted back to the British fleet. When that 
division of the enemy, which was composed of his seamen 
and marines, had l^een foiled in its attempt to land, lieu- 
tenant Neale gave directions to his intrepid sailors, to haul 
up the boats which had been sunk, and to assist the British j^ 
sailors and marines, who were making, for safety, to the ' 
shore. The Centipede was accordingly drawn up, and a 
small brass 3-pounder, a number of small arms, and a 
quantity of pistols and cutlasses, taken out of her. 22 of 
her men came on the island with her, and surrendered 
themselves as deserters. In this warm and spirited en- 
gagement, in which 3,000 British soldiers, sailors and ma- 
rines, were opposed to 480 Virginia militia, and 150 sailors 
and marines, the loss on the side of the invaders, in killed, 
wounded, and drowned, was upwards of 200, exclusive of 
40 deserters: on the side of the invaded, not a man was 
either killed or wounded. 



OF THE LATli WAll. 217 

Bj the gallant services of the defenders of this island, 
die safety of the town of Norfolk was, for a time at least, 
secured; and to the intrepid bravery and indefatigable 
exertions of lieutenant Neale, and his companions, Shu- 
brick, Saunders, and Breckenbridge ; of lieutenant colo- 
nel Beatty, and his officers, major Faulkner, captain Em- 
inerson, and lieutenants Howl and Goodwin; and 2 non- 
commissioned volunteers, sergeant Young and corporal 
Moffit, and the valiant men, who assisted in the defence 
of the island, the gratitude of the citizens of Norfolk, and 
the surrounding towns, Portsmouth, Gosport, and others, 
has been frequently manifested. 

Immediately after this repulse of the British, a confer- 
ence was held between admirals Warren and Cockburn, 
and sir Sidney Beckwith; the result of which was, a de- 
termination to avenge the loss they had sustained, and to 
facilitate the success of their next attempt, by cutting off 
the communication between the upper part of Virginia 
and the borough of Norfolk. This communication, they 
supposed to be entirely commanded by the small garrison 
at Hampton, an inconsiderable town, 18 miles distant 
from Norfolk, and separated from it by Hampton Roads. 
Their troops, exasperated at the failure of tlie recent ex- 
pedition against Crany island, were well disposed to re- 
taliate the consequences of a repulse; and their comman- 
ders availing themselves of the intemperate spirit which 
was manifested throughout the fleet, resolved on forward- 
ing an expedition against this weak position, with the 
least possible delay. All things being ready upon their 
part, they proceeded on the 25th, 3 days after the late 
engagement, with upwards of 2,000 men, in a large squa- 
dron of their principal barges. Of these, the 102d regi- 
ment, 2 companies of Canadian chasseurs, and 3 compa- 
nies of marines, composed the advance, under lieutenant 
colonel Napier. The 'remainder of the troops 'consisted 
of royal marine battalions, under lieutenant colonel Wil- 
liams; the whole commanded by sir Sidney. A number 
of launches and rocket boats, filled with sailors, and co- 
vered by the sloop of war Molmwk, captain Pechell, were 
commanded by admiral Cockburn, and directed to take 
a station before the town, to throw in the rockets, and 
keep up a constant cannonade, whilst tlie troops under . 
sir Sidney, should land at a distance of several miies be? 

T 



218 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

low the town, and gain the rear of the undisciplined 
American militia. The plan of operations being thus ar- 
ran'»-ed, the movement was commenced at the dawn of 
day ; and, with this irresistible force and equipment, the 
enemy proceeded to assault a garrison, of 349 infantry 
and rifle, 62 artillerymen, with four 12's and three G's 
and 27 cavalry: making in all, a force of 438 men. 

On the approach of that division of the enemy, which 
was to attack from the water, major Crutchfield, the com- 
mandant at Hampton, immediately formed his troop on 
Little England Plantation, which was divided from the 
town by a narrow creek, over winch a slight bridge had 
been previously constructed. The enemy's barges were 
approaching this creek, and keeping up a fire of round 
shot, until they gained Blackbeard Point, when the four 
12-pounders were opened upon them, with so much ef- 
fect, that admiral Cockburn thought it advisable to draw 
back and shelter himself behind the point. Thence he 
continued to throw his rockets, and 12's and 18's nearly 
an hour, without doing the smallest injury to the encamp- 
ment; his shot either falling short of his object, or going- 
over it. 

Meantime sirSidneyhad landed, and was coming down 
the great road on the rear of the Americans, when major 
Crutchfield being apprised of his march, had despatched 
a rifie company under captain Servant, to conceal them- 
selves in a wood, near which the invaders would be 
obliged to pass. Captain Servant executed his orders 
with the utmost precision, and annoyed the advancing 
British column with great severity. But his force was 
too inefficient, to sustain a contest of any length of time; 
and major Crutchfield, seeing that the barges would not 
approach until they knew of the arrival of sir Sidney 
within the camp, drew out the infantry forces to the aid 
of the riflemen, and to prevent the enemy cutting oft* 
his retreat. As this portion of the Americans were 
marcirtng in column, near a defile which led to Seley's 
road, they were fired upon by the enemy's musketeers 
from a thick wood at 200 yards distance. Major Crutch- 
field immediately wheeled his column into line, and 
marched toward the thicket to return the fire, and rout 
the enemy. He had not advanced 50 yards, before the 
British delivered him a fii'e from two 6-pounders, accom- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 219 

paiiied by an unexpected discharge of rockets. Being 
now apprised of the danger of proceeding in that direc- 
tion against ordnance, with so small a force, he wheeled 
again into column, and attempted to gain a passage 
through the defile, in t'ae woods; at the extremity of which 
captain Servant, with his riflemen, had heretofore kept the 
British in continued check. His column, under the fire 
from the two 6's was not formed with as much celerity 
as it had been displayed, but he succeeded at length in 
putting it in marching order, and p«oceeded to the de- 
file. Captain Cooper, with the cavalry, was at this mo- 
ment engaged with the. enemy's left flank ; and, notwith- 
standing the fatigue which his troops had already expe- 
rienced in patrolling, he annoyed them so successfully, 
that the British general, augmenting the strength of that- 
flank, issued a direction to cut him off. In this the ene- 
my did not succeed: and captain Cooper, drawing up his 
troop in a charging column, effected his retreat wim great 
skill andintrepidity. 

The column under major Crutchfield, had now gained, 
and were pressing through the defile, under* a constant 
fire from the enemy's 6-pounders. It had just attained 
the wood, on the left of the riflemen, when a third 6- 
pounder opened upon it, and, in conjunction with the 
others,, threw into confusion the different companies of 
which the column was composed. Several platoons 
immediately took up their retreat; but, those which were 
nearer the head of the column, led on by major Crutch- 
field and major Corbiif, wheeled with great judgment into 
the wood, and forming on the rifle corps under their se- 
parate captains. Shield and Herndon, kept up the action 
with an unflagging spirit, until it was deemed necessary for 
the whole body to retreat. Captain Pryor, who had been 
left in the encampment with the artillery, to continue the 
fire upon the enemy's barges, resisted their approaches 
until the sailors had landed in front of the town, and the - 
British troops were in his rear. They had already ad- 
vanced within 60 yards of his battery; his corps were 
ready to yield themselves up as prisoners of war, and the 
royal marines were preparing to take them. They saw no 
possibility of escaping, until their gallant commander gave 
an order to spike the guns, and break tlirdugh the ene- 
my's rear. Intrepid as himself, they instantly executed 



2^20 HISTORICAL SIO/rCIlES 

his commands; and pressing furiously through the Britisli 
marines, whom they threw into a temporary derange- 
ment, found their further escape obstructed by the creek. 
Captain Pryor still determined on 'retiring beyond the 
enemy's reach, threw himself into the creek, and com- 
manding his men to follow, with their carbines, effected 
the retreat of his corps in good order, and without an indi- 
vidual loss.- Such was the disparity of force, when the 
barge crews, and the troops of the enemy had effected 
a union, that the retreat of the whole American detach- 
ment, became indispensable, and major Crutchfield gave 
an order to that effect. The British general pursued the 
retreating column about 2 miles without effecting any 
purpose, though the latter frequently halted, formed be- 
hind fences, and delivered a smart fire. 

The American loss, in this action, amounted to 7 kil- 
led, 12 wounded, 11 missing, and one prisoner — total, 31. 
The British loss, by the acknowledgment of many of 
their officers, amounted to 90 killed, and 120 wounded — 
total, 210. Among these were one colonel and one 
captain of marines, killed ; and 3 lieutenants, wounded. 
Aamiral Warren's official letter, however, allows but 5 
killed, 33 wounded, and 10 missing — total, 48. 

If the account of the affair at Hampton, could be 
closed, by no further reference than to the gallajitry of 
captains Ashly, Gary, Miller, and Brown of the militia; 
captain Goodall, of the United States' artillery, and lieu- 
tenants Anderson, Armistead, and Jones, who were all 
conspicuously engaged in it; a painful recital would have 
been spared, of occurrences disgraceful to the arms of 
the enemy, unjustified by the principles of civilized war- 
fare, and unparalleled, even by the enormities committed 
on the northwestern frontier. The troops under sir Sid- 
ney, and the sailors under admiral Cockburn, no sooner 
found themselves in possession of the town of Hampton, 
than they indulged in a system of pillage, not less indis- 
criminate than that which had attended tlie visit of most 
of the same men to Havre de Grace. To these acts of 
cruelty and oppression upon the unresisting and innocent 
inhabitants, they added others of the most atrocious and 
lawless nature, the occurrence of which, has been proved 
by the solemn affirmation of the most respectable people 
of that country. Age, innocence, nor sex, could protect 



OF THE LATE WAB. * 221 

« 

the inhabitants, whose inability to escape, obliged them 
to throw themselves upon the mercy ot the conquerors. 
The persons of the women were indiscriminately vio- 
lated. The brutal desires of an abandoned and profligate 
soldiery were gratified within the view of those who 
alone possessed the power and authority to restrain them; 
and many of the unfortunate females, who had extricated 
tliemselves from one party, were pursued, overtaken, and 
possessed by another. Wives were torn from the sides 
of their wounded husbands; mothers and daughters, strip- 
ped of their clothing in the presence of each other; and 
those who had fled to the river side, and as a last refuge 
had plunged into the water, with their infant children 
in their arms, were driven again, at the point of the bayo- 
net, upon the shore, where neither their own entreaties 
and exertions, nor the cries of their ofl:spring, could re- 
strain the remorseless cruelty of the insatiable enemy, 
who paraded the victim of hts lust through the public 
streets of the town. An old man, whose infirmities had 
drawn him to the very brink of the grave, was murdered 
in the arms of his wife, almost as infirm as himself, and 
her remonstrance was followed by the discharge of a pis- 
tol into her breast. The wounded militia, who had crawl- 
ed from the field of battle to the military hospital, were 
treated with no kind of tenderness, even by the enemy's 
ofiicers, and the common wants of nature were rigorously 
denied to them. To these transcendent enormities, were 
added the wanton and profligate destruction, not only of 
the medical stores, but of the physician's drug-rooms and 
laboratories ; from which only, those who had been wound- 
ed in battle, and those upon whose persons these out- 
rages had been committed, could obtain that assistance, 
without which, they must inevitably suffer the severest 
privations. 

Two days and nights, were thus consumed by the Brit- 
ish soldiers, sailors, and marines ; and their separate com- 
manders, were all that time quartered in the only house, 
the furniture and interior decorations of which, escaped 
destruction. On the morning of the 27th, at sunrise, 
apprehensions being entertained of 'kn attack from the 
neighbouring militia, whom it was reasonably conjectur- 
ed, the recital of these transactions would rouse into im- 
mediate action, the British forces were ordered to em- 

T 2 



^22 * HISTORICAL SKETCHES 



bark; and in the course of that morning they departed 
from the devoted town, which will immemorially testify 
to the unprovoked and unrelenting cruelty of the British 
troops. They had previously carried off the ordnance 
wliich had been employed in the defence of the town, as 
trophies of their victory; but when they determined on 
withdrawing from the place, they moved away with such 
precipitation, that several hundred weight of provisions, 
a quantity of muskets and ammunition, and some of their 
men were left behind, and captured on the following day 
by captain Cooper's cavalry. Having abandoned their 
intentions of proceeding to another attempt on the de- 
fences of Norfolk, the whole fleet stood down to a posi- 
tion at New-Point-Comfort, where they proposed water- 
ing previously to their departure from the bay, on an ex- 
pedition against a town in one of the eastern states. 

Such was the agitation of the public mind, throughout 
Virginia, which succeeded the circulation of the account 
ot the assault on Hampton, that representations were made 
to general Robert R. Taylor, the commandant of the dis- 
cu ^4 t"? necessity of learning from the commanders 
ot the British fleet and army, whether the outrages which 
had been committed, would be avowed, or the perpetra- 
tors punished.— That able officer, immediately despatch- 
ed his aid to admiral Warren, with a cartel for the ex- 
change of prisoners, and a protest against the proceedings 
ot the British troops, in which he stated, that « the world 
would suppose those acts to have been approved if not 

l^lu '«T^'''\^*'.''"^'^ ^^ P^^^e^ «ver with impunity;" 
that he thought it no less due to his own personal hon- 
our, than to that of his country, to repress and punish 
every excess f that "it would depend on him (Warren) 
whether the evils inseparable from a state of war, should 
''} f'^ture operations be tempered by tlie mildness of 
civilized life or under the admiral's authority, be a-o-ra- 
vated by all the fiend-like passions, which could be instill- 
ed mto them ' 1 o this protest, admiral Warren replied 
that he would reter it to sir Sidney Beckwith, to whose 
discretion he submitted the necessity of an answer Sir 
Sidney, not only freely avowed, but justified the com- 
mission of the excesses complained of; and induced the 
American commander to believe the report of deserters 
that a promise had been made, to the fle^et, of indiv S 



OF THE LATE AVAR. 223 

bounty, of the plunder of the town, and of permission to 
commit the same acts, if they succeeded in the capture of 
Norfolk. Sir Sidney stated, that " the excesses at Hamp- 
ton, of which general Taylor complained, were occasioned 
hif a proceeding nt Crany Island. That at the recent at- 
tack on that place, the troops in a barge, which had been 
sunk by the fir5 of the American guns, had been fired on 
by a party of Americans, who waded out and shot these 
poor fellows, while clinging to the wreck of the boat ; and 
thaty with a feeling natural to such a proceeding, the men 
of that corps landed at Hampton." The British general 
expressed also a wish, that such scenes should not occur 
again, and that the subject might be entirely at rest. The 
American general, however, alive to the reputation of 
the arms of his country, refused to let it rest, and imme- 
diately instituted a court of inquiry, composed of old, and 
unprejudiced officers. The result of a long and careful 
investigation, which was forwarded to sir Sidney Beck- 
with, was, that none of the enemy had been fired on after 
the wreck of the barge, except a soldier, who attempted 
to escape to that division of tlie British troops which had 
landed, that he was not killed, and that, so far from shoot- 
ing either of those unfortunate men, the American troops 
had waded out to their assistance. To this report, sir 
Sidney never deemed it necessary to reply, and the out- 
rages at Hampton are still unatoned. Many of the unhap- 
py victims died of wounds and bruises inflicted on them, 
in their struggles to escape, which baffled the medical 
skill of the surrounding country. 



024 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 



CHAPTER XV. 



British land at Ocracoke and Portsmouth — Capture two 
letter's of marque — Distribution of admiral Warren's 
fleet — United States* schooner Jlsp^—A fishing smack., 
the Yankee, captures the British tender, the Eagle — 
The frigates United States and Macedonian, and sloop 
Hornet, blockaded at JV*ew London — Midshipman Ten 
Eyke—^The British at Say brook — Engagement in Con- 
necticut Sound — Wareham and Scituate — Occupation 
of Eastport, Moose Island — Mtack upon Stonington 
— British claim the territory east of the Penobscot, 
and occupy Castine — Loss of the United States' frigate 
Adams. 

Relinquishing the contemplated attack upon one 
of the eastern ports, and adopting a plan of operations 
against the towns and harbours to the southward of those, 
which had already been assailed, admiral Warren de- 
tached the largest proportion of his fleet, under rear ad- 
miral Cockburn, to proceed on an expedition against 
Ocracoke and Portsmoutii, two flourishing harbours in 
the state of North ^Carolina. Early in July, a force of 11 
sail appeared off* the first of those places; and on the ISth 
of that month, the rear admiral crossed the bar with a 
great number of barges, attacked two letters of marque, 
the Anaconda, of New York, and the Atlas, of Philadel- 
phia, and after being gallantly resisted by the small crews 
of those vessels, carried them by boarding. The revenue 
cutter, which was then in the harbour, effected her es- 
cape, conveyed intelligence to Newbern of the approach 
of the enemy, and thus frustrated the remainder of the 
admiral's plans. About 3,000 men were then landed at 
Portsmouth, where they destroyed the private property 
of the inhabitants, and treated the place with no more 
forbearance than they had shown at Georgetown and Fre- 
dericktpwn. The collector of the customs was seized 



OF THE LATE WAR. 225 

and taken on board the fleet, and the building destroyed 
in which his oflice was contained. After remaining two 
days in possession of these places, the enemy returned to 
his shipping- ; and, not feeling himself competent to the 
attack on Newbern, now that its citizens were preparing 
to receive him, he departed with his squadron from Ocra* 
coke, and sailed again for Ciiesapeake bay. 

The fleet, which had been keeping up the blockade in 
those waters, had been divided by admiral Warren, and 
the different vessels distributed along the coast from New 
London to Cape Henry, to watch the entrances to the 
harbours of Connecticut, New York, and the Delaware. 
In the Chesapeake, no further assaults were made upon 
the villages, but the farm houses, the neighbouring coun- 
try seats, and the stock upon the lands, and the nume- 
rous islands, which could be approached by the smallest 
barges, were indiscriminately plundered. Such islands 
were taken possession of as afforded quarters for the 
troops, and frequent excursions made from them against 
the defenceless landholders in their vicinity. 

On the 14th, the United States' schooners Scorpion 
and Asp> being under weigh from the mouth of Yeoco- 
mico river, were pursued by two of the enemy's sloops of 
war; and, finding it impossible for both vessels to es- 
cape through the bay, the Scorpion continued her course, 
while the Asp, a dull sailing vessel, returned to the river, 
and was run into Kinsale creek, by her commander, sail- 
ing master Segourney. The enemy's vessels anchored 
near the bar, and despatched three barges filled with arm- 
ed men, to assault and carry her. As these were ap- 
proaching, Mr. Segourney opened a well directed fire, 
and compelled them, in a little time, to return. Rein- 
forced, however, by two other barges, manned in like man- 
ner, they again approached the schooner, and carried her 
by boarding, though obstinately resisted by her little crew, 
to whom they refused to show quarter. Her commander 
had been shot through the body by a musket ball, and 
was sitting on the deck against the mast, when they car- 
ried her, and brought down her colours. In this attitude, 
and suffering under the severity of his wound, he was, at 
that moment, animating his men, to repel the boarders, 
when one of the British marines ste])t up, and shot him 
through the head. He expired instantly, and the next of»- 



^^6 HISTORICAL SKETCH'ES 

ficer, Mr. Mdintock, seeing what v/ould be the probable 
fate of the whole crew, ordered his men to save them- 
selves by flight. Those who had not previously been 
wounded, reached the shore, in safety ; and the enemy, 
having set fire to the scliooner, returned to the squadron, 
though not before they had been fired upon by a collec- 
tion of militia, who retook the vessel, and extinguished 
the flames. 

The Poictiers 74, still commanded by sir John P. Be- 
resford, had been stationed for several weeks at Sandy 
Hook, for the purpose of blockading the harbour of New 
York. Numbers of small vessels had been daily captured 
by her; and one of them, the sloop Eagle, was converted 
into a tender to the line of battle ship, manned with two 
officers and eleven marines ; and equipped with a 32 brass 
howitzer. She was constantly employed in the pursuit 
and capture of the coasters, and had already committed 
various depredations. Commodore Jacob Lewis, who 
commanded a flotilla of 30 sail of gun boats, determined 
on protecting the fishing boats and river craft, by the cap- 
ture of this tender. He accordingly hired a fishing smack, 
called the Yankee, and placing about 30 men on board, 
under one of his sailing masters (Percival), and supply- 
ing him with several articles of live stock, gave him in- 
structions to proceed from the Hook, in the direction of 
the banks, with his armed men concealed in the cabin 
and fore peak, fhe sloop Eagle, upon discovering her 
at the Hook, immediately gave chase ; and, on seeing the 
live stock, ordered the man at the helm, Mr. Percival, 
who (with two men only on deck) was dressed in the ap- 
parel of a fisherman, to steer for the 74, then lying at a 
distance of five miles. The fishing smack had her helm 
immediately put up, for that apparent purpose; and being 
by this means brought along side, and within three yards 
of the Eagle, her commander gave the signal, '■'Lawrence" 
and her men rushed up with such rapidity, and discharged 
so brisk and unexpected a fire, that the crew of the Eagle 
became panic struck, and many of them ran below. Her 
commander, sailing master Morris, and one marine, were 
killed ; and midshipman Price, and another, mortally 
wounded. Percival's men were prepared for a second 
discliarge, when a sailor on the enemy's deck was seen 
creeping to the howitzer with a lighted match ; one of th"? 



OF THE LATE WAR. 227 

crew of the Yankee, levelled his musket, and shot him in 
the breast, and in a second after, the flag of the Eagle 
came down. The sloop and the prisoners were then taken 
into the Hook, and delivered to the commodore, who pro- 
ceeded with them to New York, where Morris and Price, 
(who died immediately after landing,) were buried by the 
naval land military authorities. Mr. Perciv^al was pro- 
moted to the new sloop of war Peacock, and the brass 
howitzer was transferred to the quarter deck of the com- 
modore's flag boat. 

In consequence of commodore Decatur having pro- 
ceeded with the frigates United States and Macedonian, 
and the sloop of war Hornet, through the sound, to get to 
sea from the eastward, and of his having been driven with 
his squadron, into New London, by a superior detach- 
ment of the enemy's ships, that port was rigorously block- 
aded, by the Ramilies 74, two frigates, and several smaller 
vessels, under commodore sir Thomas M. Hardy. Every 
effort to get to sea, under the auspices of dark nights and 
favourable winds, having proved unavailing, in conse- 
quence of the enemy being continually apprised of the 
designs of the American commodore, he was blockaded 
for many months, without a prospect of escaping, either 
by the ordinary channel or by the sound. Between de- 
tached parties from each squadron, several affairs of mi- 
nor importance took place, during the blockade ; and iH 
one of them, midshipman Ten Eyke, of the United States 
frigate, made prisoners of two lieutenants, two warrant 
officers, and five seamen, in a house on Gardiner's island. 
Incursions into the neighbouring states, were frequent 
from the British • forces ; but, though extensive numbers 
of shipping were destroyed, the conduct of the sailors 
and marines, under sip Thomas Hardy, was not marked 
by the indiscriminate commission* of unrestrained and 
wanton outrage, of which ther^ were too many incidents 
on the coast to the southward ; and the houses of the 
different villages, as well as individual property, were 
therefore almost invariably respected. The general de- 
portment of commodore Hardy, was that of a brave, hu- 
mane, and gallant enemy ; and had his conduct been emu- 
lated by other commanders, the horrors and distressed 
conditions of a state of war, would have been ameliorated 



£28 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

hn both sides; and the necessity of many instances of re- 
taliatory measures, might never have existed. 

During the winter months of 1813-14, scarcely an event 
of consequence took place, on any part of the coast, or at 
any of the shores of the bay and rivers, in which the ene- 
my's vessels were anchored. The town of Killingworth 
alone, had an opportunity of repelling three or four dis- 
tinct attempts to land, and of beating off superior num- 
bers, in British barges. 

Early in the spring of 1814, however, the enemy made 
several movements, indicative of his intentions to pursue 
an active course of warfare. On the 7th of April, about 
SOU sailors and marines, entered Connecticut river, in a 
number of barges, and landed at the town of Saybrook, 
where they spiked the guns at a small battery, and de- 
stroyed many trading vessels. Thence they ascended the 
river, to Brock way's ferry, destroyed all the shipping 
there, and amused themselves, without any apprehensions 
of an attack, upwards of twenty-four hours. In the mean 
time, a body of militia had assembled, under command of 
a brigadier general of Connecticut ; 100 men, and several 
field pieces, were stationed on the opposite shore, and 
two pieces and a party of men, on the ferry side below ; 
captain Jones, and lieutenant commandant Biddle of the 
Hornet, arrived with a detachment of sailors from the 
squadron, and every thing was arranged for the capture 
of the whole party of the enemy. The success of the 
plan was inevitable; the word only of the general com- 
manding was waited for; and, as he was making other 
arrangements, than those adopted by these experienced 
officers, the enemy drifted down the river with nmffled 
oars, under covfer of a dark night, cheered loudly, ^v^hen 
they had passed the town of Saybrook, and escaped to 
the squadron, after destroying 200,000 dollars worth of 
shipping. Several shots were -fired after them, but with- 
out effect. 

About this time, the Liverpool Packet privateer was 
cruising with great success, a^^ainst the American com- 
merce in the sound, and had alreUdy annoyed the coast- 
ing trade, to an enormous extent. Unless this cruiser 
was driven from the sound, no coaster could sail from 
one port to anotlier, with any assurances of safety. Com- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 229 

nioilore Lewis, determined on an expedition against her. 
He sailed witli the detachment, consisting of 13 of his 
gun boats, dn)ve the privateer from the mouth of the 
harbours in the sound, and proceeded to Black Rock, 
New Haven, and Saybrook. At the latter place, he an- 
chored on the 23d of May, and found upwards of 40 
sail of coasting vessels laying there, bound eastward, but 
the masters of wiiich being frarful of the privateer and 
the enemy's barges. The commodore was applied to for 
convoy; and though he knew not whether he could 
yield any kind of protection, against a frigate, a corvette, 
and an armed sloop, at that moment in the passage before 
New London, he took the coasters under convoy, and 
agreed to throw himself between them and the enemy. 
On the 25tli, he accordingly sailed with the convoy 
bound for New London, and at 5, P. M. came to action 
with a frigate a sloop of war and a tender, and continued 
the engagement, until all the coasters had safely passed 
the enemy and arrived at New London. This being 
done, although the whole object of liis attack was achiev- 
ed, commodore Lewis determined upon trying the further 
ett'ect of his hot shot. The boats were each supplied with 
a furnace; and whilst they were pouring hot balls into 
the enemy's sides, and frequently setting him on fire, they 
received in turn, scarcely a shot from either of his vessels. 
Ciun boat No. 6. was alone. injured; and being struck be- 
tween wind and water, was immediately grounded, to 
prevent her sinking. The sloop of war had, by this time, 
withdrawn from the engagement; and the fire of the gun 
boats was principally directed against the frigate. She 
v/as observed several times to be on fire; one shot 
passed through her very near the magazine ; 17 of her 
men were already killed, and a lieutenant and a great 
number of men, wounded ; and the captain was on the 
point of surrendering, v/hen he discovered that the gun 
boats had ceased firing. The night closed in immedi- 
ately, was excessively dark, and the commodore found 
himself obliged to anchor his boats, and reconnoitre the 
enemy, until next morning. He intended to board the 
sloop, but she was stationed between the two ships, and 
that project was therefore useless. At daylight, observ- 
ing the enemy towing away their vessels, and retreating, 
he" instantly made signal for pursuit; but the report of the 



<330 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

cannonade, had brought the whole British force, consist- 
ing of 7 large sail, to their assistance, and the commodore 
abandoned his intention of renewing the action, and pr'o- 
ceeded up the sound to New York, with the enemy in 
his rear, as far as Faulkner's island. The loss on board 
the flotilla, was one man by the recoiling of a gun. The 
frigate was supposed to be the Maidstone, of 38, and 
mounting 49 guns ; but several sailors, who deserted from 
lier, and were in this action, reported her to be the Hot- 
spur, of the same force. The consequences of this en- 
gagement, and of that which took place below Crany 
Island, have occasioned much speculation about the utili- 
ty of gun boats. In each instance, it was undoubtedly 
proved, that, under -such circumstances as attended them, 
the gun boats are capable of great annoyance to the lar- 
gest ships of war. Commodore Lewis, whose activity 
and enterprise, rendered him, of all other men, capable of 
manoeuvring them to advantage, has saved an immense 
amount of property to the mercantile interest of his coun- 
try, by his repeated cruises with them, in and near the 
sound. 

But the operations of the immense naval armaments, 
which were maintained by the enemy, before the ports 
of New York, Boston, New London, and the entrance to 
the sound, were not to be checked by a flotilla of boats, 
however well appointed, consisting in all, of but 30 sail; 
and the whole eastern coast was therefore exposed to 
the ravages of the invaders. The towns and villages 
there, were as exposed and defenceless as those to the 
south; but a degree of forbearance was manifested by 
the commander on this station, which prevented the com- 
mission of such extensive depredations. Yet an insa- 
tiable thirst for plunder, induced many of the British 
cruisers to seek the destruction of every species of public 
property, of the most flourishing manufacturing establish- 
ments, and of vessels carrying on a trade between the 
eastern and other ports; and the cupidity of the sailors 
and marines, frequently led to the sequestration of private 
property. At the towns of Wareham and Scituate, they 
burned all the vessels at their moorings ; and, at the for- 
mer, which they approached under a flag of truce, they 
set fire to an extensive cotton manufactory. But at a 
place called Boothbay, they met with a spirited opposi- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 2Sl 

tion ; and in several desperate attacks, repeated on dif- 
ferent days, and with various numbers, they were repul- 
sed, with considerable loss, by the militia of the neigh- 
bourhood. 

About the month of July, the blockading squadron, un- 
der sir Thomas Hardy, received instructions to assail, and 
take possession, in his Britannic majesty'sname, of Moose 
Island, near the mouth of Kobbeskook river, opposite 
to the province of New Brunswick, and on the western 
side of Passamaquoddy Bay. This bay was adjudged 
by the British ministers, to be within the boundary of 
their possessions in North America; and, after the cap- 
ture of Moose Island, their forces were directed to occu- 
py all the towns and islands within its limits. On the 11th 
of that month, sir Thomas proceeded with the Ramilies, 
74, one 60 gun ship, 3 sloops of war, and 3 transports, 
containing between 1 500 and 2000 troops, with an inten- 
tion of surprising the town of Eastport, containing about 
1000 inhabitants, and situated upon Moose Island. — 
Against this force, no kind of opposition could be made 
by a small garrison, containing but 59 men, 43 of whom 
only, were effectives; and major Putnam, the comman- 
der, did not attempt to molest the troops, who had alrea- 
dy landed. Formal possession was then taken of the 
whole island : the officers in the garrison paroled, the pri- 
vates conveyed to the squadron, the fort, which then 
mounted but 6 small cannon, enlarged, refitted, and the 
battery extended to 60 pieces ; and a proclamation issued 
by sir Thomas Hardy and lieutenant colonel Andrew 
Pilkington, in which they declared all the islands to have 
been surrendered, by the capture of Eastport; allowed 7 
days' residence to such inhabitants as should refuse to 
swear allegiance to his Britannic majesty ; and appointed 
a day on which they were to assemble for that purpose. 
About two-thirds of the people submitted to these terms, 
under an expectation of retaining their privileges ; but in 
the month of August, the province of New Brunswick, in 
council, ordereil, that the inhabitants of Moose Island, 
should not be entitled to the rights of their other subjects, 
notwithstanding their oath of allegiance ; but that they 
should be treated as a conquered people, and placed un- 
der the control of the military authority. Eastport was 
j . soon after well fortified; and remained in possession of 



232 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

the British, until the conclusion of the war; before whicli 
period, however, their garrison was frequently weakened 
by desertions of large bodies of theii' troops; the officers 
were often compelled to perform the duties of sentinels; 
and the difficulties of subsisting the army and the people 
daily increased,^ by the extreme scarcity of provisions. 

Having thus secured the possession of Moose Island, 
and provided for its defence against any attempt to re- 
cover it by the Americans, sir Thomas sailed to his old 
station, before New London. On the 9th of August he 
made signal for the Pactolus frigate, 44, the Tevrour 
bomb ship, and the Despatch brig of 20 guns, to weigh 
anchor, and sail with the Ramilies, to ^ the attack of the 
town of Stonington, which the commodore had been or- 
dered to reduce to ashes. The. appearance of this for- 
midable force, before a town, which possessed but weak 
and inadequate means of defence, excited an alarm among 
the inhabitants, which the message of commodore Hardy, 
to move off the unoffending people of the place, was not 
calculated to subdue. But having complied with the 
terms of the commodore's note, and disposed of the 
women and children, they repaired to a small battery, 
which had been erected a few weeks before, and in which 
were mounted two 18-pounders, and one 6. Those who 
had been drilled as artillerists, were stationed at these 
pieces; the flag was nailed to a staff, and a small breast- 
work, which had been hastily tlirown up, was lined with 
musketry. Thus arranged, the handful of militia be- 
longing to Stonington, awaited the approach of the ene- 
my, with painful anxiety. Expresses were forwarded to 
general Gushing of the United States' army, command- 
ing at New London, for a supply of men and ammuni- 
tion ; and to the neighbouring districts, for a hasty levy 
of militia. At 8, in the evening, five barges, and a large 
launch, filled with men, and armed with 9-pounder carro- 
nades, approached the shore, under cover of a heavy fire 
of round, canister, and grape shot, and a discharge of 
shells, carcasses, and rockets. The Americans, reserv- 
ing their fire, until the barges were within short grape 
distance, opened their two 18-pounders upon, and com- 
pelled them to retire out of reach of the battery. The 
enemy then attempted to land at the east side of the 
town, at a point which they supposed to be the most 



OF THE LATE WAR. 233 

defenceless. This being discovered by the militia artille- 
rists, the 6-pounder was immediately transported to that 
side of the town, and the barges were a second time com- 
pelled to retire. They returned to the shipping, with*'^ 
determination to renew their attack with more vigour at 
the dawn of the following morning. The bombardment 
nevertheless continued until midnight. 

Before morning the enemy's squadron was augmented 
by the arrival of the JSTimrod, 18 gun brig; and at the 
dawn of day, the difterent vessels were stationed nearer 
to the town ; the Despatch being within pistol shot of the 
battery. The barges approached the shore in large num- 
bers, and met with as signal a repulse as on the preceding 
night. One of them was shattered to pieces by the 4-poun- 
der on the east side of the town ; whilst a cannonade was 
kept up between the 18-pounder battery and the gun 
brig, which resulted in her expulsion from her anchorage. 
She had received several shot between wind and water, 
and was obliged to haul off and repair. The barges again 
returned to the shipping, and the five vessels drifted out 
of the reach of the battery, made new anchorage, and con- 
tinued to bombard the town, during that and the follow- 
ing day. On the 12th, commodore Hardy, relinquishing 
any further attempt to reduce the town to ashes, and hav- 
ing already lost 21 men killed, and upwards of 50 wound- 
ed, ordered his squadron to weigh anchor, and proceed up 
Fisher's Island sound. The inhabitants of Stonington 
were released from their apprehensions about tlie safety 
of their dwel]in«;s ; and the women and children, some 
time after restored to their homes. Notwithstanding the 
bombardment had been protracted to three successive 
days, and upwards of sixty tons of metal had been tlirowa 
upon the shore, not a man of the militia was killed, and 
the number of wounded did not exceed six. Among 
them was lieutenant Hough, who as well as colonel Ran- 
dal, and lieutenant Lathrop, greatly contributed, by their 
activity and skill, to the repulse of the enemy. Stoning- 
ton contained, at the time of the attack, about one hun- 
dred houses; forty of these were injured by the shot, but 
ten only materially; and but two or three entirely de- 
stroyed. 

Not content with possessing Moose island, and other 
islands of the bay, the British claimed, as a colony, all 

U2 



234 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

that part of the district of Maine, lying to the west of. 
and between, Penobscot river and Passamaquoddy bay; 
and instructions were also forwarded to sir John C. Sher- 
bl'ooke, the governor of Nova Scotia, and rear admiral 
Griffetli, commanding the naval forces within that pro- 
vince, to take possession of all tliat territory. These com- 
manders entered the Penobscot river on the 1 st of Sep- 
tember; appeared before Castine, from which the garri- 
son fled, after blowing up the fort, and which the British 
immediately occupied. A proclamation was then issued 
by the governor and the admiral, in which they claimed 
as the territory of H. B. M. that part of tlie province of 
Maine, east of the Penobscot, in which there were more 
than 40 villages, and upwards of 30,000 inhabitants. Af- 
ter possessing Castine, many of these villages were gra- 
dually occupied, and ordinances were established for the 
civil and military government of the people. Castine, 
also remained in the hands of the enemy until the con- 
clusion of hostilities. 

The United States' frigate Adams, captain Morris had 
arrived in the Penobscot, from a successful cruise, a few 
days before Die occupation. of Castine ; and having run 
upon the rocks near that port, was obliged to be hove 
down at Hampden, thirty-five miles up the river, to have 
her damages repaired. On the 3d of September, the Bri- 
tish sloop Sijlph of SS, the Feruvian of 18, and one trans- 
port and ten barges, ascended the river, manned in all 
with about 1000 men, from Castine, under command of 
commodore Barrie, with a determination to capture the 
frigate. Captain Morris erected several batteries on emi- 
■ nences near his vessel ; supplied the militia, who were 
without arms, with the ship's muskets, and made every , 
preparation to, repulse the enemy. Notwithstanding these 
judicious arrangements, and the readiness of the ship's 
crew to resist the enemy's attempts, the militia could not 
be brought to oppose an inferior number of British regu- 
lars ; and flying precipitately from the ground, left no 
other alternative to captain Morris, than to surrender his 
crew, or to destroy the Adams, and retreat to Bangor, or 
Kennebeck. Under the direction of lieutenant Wads- 
worth, of the sliip, the sailors and marines retired in good 
order, over a bridge, which crossed a deep creek ; but, 
captain Morris and a few men, who remained to set fire 



OF THE LATE WAR. 235 

to the vessel, having succeeded in blowing her up, were 
cut oft' from this retreat, and compelled to plunge into 
the river, and effect their escape by swimming. Disap- 
pointed in the object of their expedition, the British re- 
turned to Castine, and conducted an incursive warfare 
against the towns in the vicinity of that port. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

The JVavy — United States* gun brig Jirgiis, captured by 
the sloop of war Pelican — The Boxer and the Enter- 
prise — lillen and Burrows — Commodore Rodgers and 
the Plantagenet — The Constitution chased into Mar- 
blehead — Commodore Lewis — Cruise of the Essex fri- 
gate — Her capture — United States' sloop of ivar Pea- 
cocky vanquishes the British sloop of war Eperviei — 
Cruise of the new sloop of war Wasp — Her conquest 
. over the Reindeer — She sinks the Jivon. 

The government of the United States, having deem- 
ed it expedient, in the spring of 1813, to send an ambas- 
sador to France, at which court they were not then re- 
presented, the American gun brig Argus, lieutenant com- 
mandant Wm. H. Allen, of 18 guns, was tlespatched to 
L'Orient, with Mr. Crawford, the minister plenipotentia- 
ry, appointed to negotiate a treaty of commerce with that 
power. After having landed the minister, she was ordered 
to cruise in the vicinity of the British channel, where she 
arrived about the middle of June, and continued to cruise 
until the same time in August. During tins period, she 
captured in St. Geor':e's channel, upwards of 20 vessels, 
coasters and others, and excited a great degree of alarm 
among the towns upon the English coasts. In consequence 
of her activity in making captures, and the danger to Bri- 
tish vessels of passing through the channel, the insurance 
upon coasters could no longer be obtained in England, 
but at an amount very far exceeding the double premium; 
and though numerous vessels of war, of ail rates and de- 
scriptions, were floating at the docks, the Argus was al- 



236 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

lowed to maintain her cruise in this neighbourhood foV 
two full months. The attention of the admiralty Vas at 
length, however, awakened; and, on the 12th of August, 
the sloop of war Pelican, captain J. F. Maples, of 21 car- 
riage guns, was ordered to cruise in search of the hos- 
tile stranger. On the 14th, at 4, A. M. by the light of a 
brig then on fire, the two vessels were brought in sight of 
each other. The Argus immediately close hauled on the 
starboard tack, and made preparations to receive the ene- 
my. Failing in every attempt to gain the weathergage, 
captain Allen, at half past 5, shortened sail, and waited 
for the Pelican to close. A few minutes afterwards the 
Pelican displayed her colours ; the Argus hoisted the 
American flag, v/ore round, and within grape distance, 
gave her a larboard broadside; which being returned, the 
action commenced within the range of musketry. At 
the second fire from the Pelican, captain Allen fell. He 
was wounded severely in the leg, but remained on deck 
until several broadsides were exchanged ; when, being 
quite exhausted by the excessive loss of blood, he yielded 
the command of the Argus to lieutenant Watson, and 
was taken below. Meantime the Pelican shot away the 
main braces, the spring-stay, galF, and trysail mast, of 
the Argus. At 12 minutes past 6, her spritsail yard, and 
most of her standing rigging on the larboard side of the 
foremast, were lost; and lieutenant Watson received a 
wound in the head, which made it necessary that he also 
should be earned below. The command of the Argus 
now devolved on lieutenant William H.Allen, jun. whose 
unremitted exertions frequently defeated the enemy's at- 
tempts to get into a raking position. At 16 minutes past 
6, the Pelican edged off, with an intention of getting un- 
der the stern of the Argus ; but lieutenant Allen, by luf- 
fing close to, with his main-topsail tie aback, and giving 
her a raking broadside, completely frustrated this at- 
tempt. But, in two minutes after, she shot away the pre- 
venter main braces, and main-topsail of the Argus, de- 
prived her of the use of her after sail, and thus causing her 
to fall off before the wind, succeeded in passing her stern, 
and ranged up on her starboard side. At 25 minutes past 
6, the Argus having lost her wheel-ropes, and running rig- 
ging of every description, became entirely unmanageable; 
and the Pelican, not being materially damaged, had an 



01? THE LATE WAR. ilS7 

opportunity of choosing her position. She continued her 
fire on the starboard quarter of the Argus, until half past 
6; when lieutenant Watson returned to the deck, and 
made preparations to board the enemy. The shattered 
condition of the brig rendered that eftbrt impossible ; and 
the Pelican took a position on her stern, and gave her a 
raking fire for 8 minutes, when she passed up, and plac- 
ing herself on the starboard bow, continued a raking 
fire there until 47 minutes past 6. All this while, the 
commander of the Argus was endeavouring, without ef- 
fect, to bring her guns to bear ; and having nothing but 
musketry to oppose to the galling and eft'ective fire of 
the enemy, he determined on surrendering the brig. A 
measure, which, in consequence of the loss of several of- 
ficers, and many of the men ; of the shattered state of the 
hull and rigging; and of the impossibility, under tliese 
disadvantages, of getting otherwise out of the combat, he 
would liave been warranted in adopting much sooner. 
At the moment her flag came down, the Pelican was 
pressing to board her; and being close along side, imme- 
diately took possession. Her loss amounted to 6 killed, 
and 17 wounded ; 5 of the latter died soon after the en- 
gagement. The loss of the Pelican was 3 men killed, and 
5 only wounded. 

Captain Allen submitted to an amputation of his leg; 
but every means of restoration to his health proved inef- 
fectual; and, on the 18th, 3 days after the action, he ex- 
pired in Mill Prison hospital, whence he and midshipmen 
belphy (who had both his legs shot from his body at tlie 
same instant), and Edwards, were buried with the usual 
honours of war. 

Several United States' sloops of war were about this 
period, upon the stocks ; and it being necessary that their 
building and equipment should be superintended by expe- 
rienced naval officers, commanders were assigned to them, 
previously to their being launched into their destined ele- 
ment. To restore to the American naval list, the name 
of a vessel which had been captured by a superior force, 
after the moment of victory over another vessel, one of 
these was ordered to be called tlie Wasp, and the com- 
mand given to lieutenant commandant Blakely, at that 
time of the gun brig the Enterprise, 



r238 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

By this transfer, the command of the later vessel de- 
volved on lieutenant commandant BurroM^s, to whom in- 
structions had been given, for a cruise from Portsmouth. 
On the 1st of September, he sailed from that place, 
steered to the eastward, and on the 3d, discovered and 
chased a schooner into Portland, where he gained intelli- 
gence of several privateers being off Manhagan, and im- 
mediately stood for that place.* 

The British gun brig the Boxer, captain Blythe, of 14 
guns, and nearly 100 men, had been fitted up at St. Johns, 
(New Brunswick,) for the purpose of a combat with the 
Enterprise, mounting the same number of guns, and very 
ne&rly the same number of men. To the crew of the 
Boxer, however, a detachment was added from the Rat- 
ler, upon her arrival on the United States' coast. On 
the morning of the 5ih, the Enterprise, in the bay near 
Penguin Point, discovered the Boxer getting under weigh, 
and gave chase to her. The Boxer fired several guns, 
stood for the Enterprise, and hoisted four ensigns. Cap- 
tain Burrows, having ascertained her character, stood out 
of the bay to obtain sea room ; and followed by the 
Boxer, he hauled upon a wind until 3 P. M. At that 
hour he shortened sail, and in 20 minutes the action 
commenced, within half pistol shot. At the first broad- 
side, captain Blythe was killed by a cannon shot through 
his body; and in a moment afterwards, captain Burrows 
fell by a musket ball. The command of the two vessels, 
during the whole engagement, was, therefore, maintained 
by the lieutenants. Captain Burrows refused to quit the 
deck, and at 4 P. M. received the sword of captain Blythe, 
from the hands of lieutenant M'Call; expressed his satis- 
faction at the manner of his own death, and expired about 
8 hours afterwards. The colours of the Boxer had been 
nailed to the mast, and her first officer was, therefore, 
obliged to hail lieutenant M'Call, to inform him of her 

* The Enterprise is the same vessel, which, in 1801, was a 
schooner, in the Medlten-anean, commanded by heutenant Stcr- 
ret. Under that officer, she engaged and captured, in Aug-ust 
of that year, during the Tripolitan war, the ship of war Tripoli, 
of 14 guns, and 85 men. In this engagement she lost not a single 
man; whilst her antagonist, had 50 of her crew killed and 
wounded, 



OF THE LATK WAR. 239 

surrender, before it was known that she was vanquished. 
She was immediately taken possession of, and carried 
into Portland, with her masts, sails, and spars, cut to 
pieces; and, with twenty 18-pound shot in her hull. The 
number of her killed and wounded, could not be ascer- 
tained, no papers being on board, by which the strength 
of her crew could be known. Her officers, admitted the 
loss of '■25 killed, and 14 wounded. The rigging of the 
Enterprise was much cut with grape shot, but her hull 
not materially damaged. Her loss was 1 killed, and 13 
wounded. Lieutenan{ Tillinghast, and midshipman Wa- 
ters, the latter of whom was severely wounded, behaved 
with coolness and determination; and lieutenant M'Call, 
who succeeded his gallant captain, sustained the reputa- 
tion of the navy, by his conduct throughout the action. 

On their arrival at Portland, the bodies of the deceased 
commanders were deposited, with the usual military cere- 
monies; and the prisoners were soon after removed to 
the interior. Both vessels were repaired with the utmost 
despatch ; and the Boxer, being considered the superior 
vessel, was ordered by the president of the United States, 
to be delivered up, for the benefit of the captors, and 
bought from them into the service. 

By the fall of these young officers, captains Allen and 
Burrows, the naval service experienced a heavy and al- 
most irretrievable loss. Captain Allen had distinguished 
himself in a gallant manner, in the action with the Mace- 
donian, at which time he was first officer to commodore 
Decatur; and not long after, received the approbation of 
his government, by a promotion to the rank of a master 
commandant, and to the command of the Argus. He 
sustained the reputation of a brave and courteous man, 
an accomplished seaman, and a friend of unswerving in- 
tegrity. Captain Burrows, whose intrepidity and forti- 
tude, instigated him to remain on the deck of his vessel, 
in the agonies of death, until he knew of the surrender of 
the enemy, possessed these inestimable qualities in no 
less a degree. The loss of such men, will be a fruitful 
source of sorrow, to those who liave been their compa- 
nions in arms, and to those who looked up to them for 
examples of usefulness and heroism. 

Between this period and the commencement of the 
year 1814, the cruises of the ships of war of the United 



240 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

States, were not attended by any of those brilliant achieve- 
ments, by which they had previously, and have since 
that time been marked. In the month of February, of 
that year, the frigate President, returned from a cruise of 
about 70 days. At the entrance of Sandy Hook, after 
having^ passed the light house, commodore Rodgers, found 
himself in the neighbourhood of three large men of war, 
the nearest being the Plantagenet 74, captain Lloyd. — 
Being well assured of an attack, from one or all of the 
enemy's vessels, he. cleared ship fpr action; and, though 
his capture was inevitable, he determined not to lose the 
President, until he could no longer fight her. In conse- 
quence of the wind and tide being both unfavourable, he 
was compelled to remain in his situation 7 hours, before 
either of them enabled him to cross the bar; and, in all* 
that time to his great astonishment, and to the surprise 
and mortification of the prisoners on board, no disposition 
was manifested to attack the President, though her charac- 
ter was known ; and she fired a gun to windward, to sig- 
nify her willingness to figlit, since there was no apparent 
possibility of escaping. The tide having changed, com- 
modore Rodgers proceeded to New York; and captain 
Lloyd, after returning to England, accounted for his con- 
duct, by alleging a mutiny in his ship, and had several 
of his sailors tried upon that charge. 

In the succeeding month of April, the Constitution 
frigate, commanded by captain Charles Stewart, was also 
returning from a cruise, commenced on the 1st January. 
On her ariival on the coast, she was pursued by two Brit- 
ish frigates and a brig, and chased into Marblehead. The 
excellent seamanship of her commander, enabled her, with 
difficulty to escape; and she reached Salem, without in- 
jury. During her cruise she captured the British public 
schooner Pictou; and fell in with the frigate La Pique, 
captain Maitland, who fled on the approach of the Consti- 
tution. No effort was left untried by captain Stewart, to 
overtake and bring her to action, but she escaped in the 
night after a long chase; and captain Maitland, on his 
arrival in England, was complimented by the admiralty, 
for his strict observance of his instructions, in flying from 
an American frigate. 

Repeated opportunities were, about this time, given to 
the enemy's squadron off Sandy Hook, to engage the gun 



OF THE LATE WAR. -241 

boat flotilla. A schooner had been driven on shore; and 
numbers of barges, well manned and armed, were des- 
patched to take possession of her; but commodore 
Lewis, ordered a detachment of his sailors to land and 
protect her. With a small field piece, and their small 
arms, they beat oft* the enemy, launclied tlie schooner, 
and cai'ried her to her destined port. New York. A 
month afterwards, the Belvidere chased the brig Regent, 
laden with an immensely valuable cargo close into the 
Hook; when the commodore, whose station was con- 
stantly at that point, immediately gave signal for a de- 
tachment of his flotilla to follow him; and placing him- 
self, with 11 sail, between the frigate and the chase, 
prevented her capture; and fired upwards of 50 shot at 
the frigate, which stood off" without returning the fire. 

In a preceding chapter of this work an account is 
given of a plan of a cruise in the vSouth Seas by a squad- 
ron composed of the Constitution, the Essex, and the 
Hornet, under commodore Bainbridge. This cruise was 
broken up by the engagements of the Constitution and 
the Hornet; and, as neitlier of those vessels were found 
by the Essex, at either of the appointed rendezvous, cap- 
tain Porter obtained such additional provisions as were 
necessary for a long cruise. He had received intelli- 
gence of the victory over tlie Java, and had been in- 
formed that the Montague had captured the Hornet. He 
therefore determined on prosecuting the original cruise, 
with the Essex alone. Previously to his departure from 
the rendezvous on the coast of Brazil, he captured the 
British packet Nocton, took out of her 11,000?. sterling, 
in specie, and ordered her, with lieutenant Finch, to the 
United States. He then shaped his course for the Pacific, 
arrived at Valparaiso, on the 14th March, 1813, provi- 
sioned himself there, and running down the coast of Chili 
and Peru, fell in with a Peruvian corsair, on board of 
which were 24 Americans, detained as prisoners. Cap- 
tain Porter immediately threw tlie guns of the corsair 
overboard, deprived her of all her warlike implements, 
released the Americans, and re-captured near Lima, one 
of the vessels in which they had been taken. From 
Lima he proceeded to the Gallapagos Islands, where he 
cruised from April until October; and, in that time, cap' 
tured 12 armed British whale ships. The Montezuma^ 

X 



•24Q HISTOllICxVL SKETCHES 

of 2 guns and 21 men; the Policy, of 10 guns and £6 
men; the Geor^iana, of 6 guns and 25 men; the Green" 
wich, of 10 guns and 25 men; the Mlantic, of 8 guns and 
24 men; the Rose, of 8 guns and 21 men; the Hector, of 
11 guns and 25 men; the Catherine, oi 8 guns and 29 
men; the Seringapatam, of 14 guns and 31 men; the 
Charlton, of 10 guns and 21 men; the J\*ew Zealander, 
of 8 guns and 23 men; and the Sir Andrew Hammond, 
of 12 guns and 31 men; makmg, in all, 107 guns and 
302 men: and the total amount of tonnage, 3456. Ma- 
ny of these vessels were pierced for 18, 20, and 26 
guns, and captain Porter equipped several of themj 
and commissioned them as United States' cruisers and 
store ships. The Mlantic, he called the Essex Junior ; 
equipped her with 20 guns, and assigned his first officer, 
lieutenant Downes, as her commander. This officer 
conveyed such of the prizes, as were to be laid up, to 
Valparaiso. Here he learned that a British squadron, 
consisting of one frigate, two sloops of war, and a store 
ship of 20 guns, had sailed for the Pacific, in quest of the 
Essex, and he immediately returned to captain Porter 
with this intelligence. The Essex had now been one 
year at sea, and as she required many repairs, captain 
Porter proceeded to the island of Nooaheevah, or Madi- 
son's Island, lying in the Washington group; where he 
completely repaired the Essex; and having secured three 
of his prizes under the g;uns of the battery which he had 
previously erected, and manned with 21 m-arines, under 
lieutenant Gamble of that corps, sailed for the coast of 
Chili, on the 12th December, and arrived there on the 
12th January, 1814. He then looked into Conception 
and Valparaiso, where he learned, that the squadron of 
which he had been informed by lieutenant Downes, was 
conjectured to have been lost in doubling Cape Horn. 
He nevertheless, continued in the neighbourhood of Val- 
paraiso, and was anchored in that port, with the Essex 
Junior, when commodore Hillyar, of the frigate Phcebe, 
of 36 guns, mounting (thirty long 18's, sixteen 32-pound 
carronades, and one howitzer, on her decks, and six 3- 
pounders in her tops,) 53 guns, and having a complement 
of 320 men; accompanied by the Cherub sloop of war, 
captain Tucker, of (eighteen 32-pound carronades, eight 
24's, and 2 long 9's) 28 guns, and 130 men, arrived at 



OF THB LATE WAR. 243 

Valparaiso. The Essex, which mounted (forty 32-po\ind 
carronades, and six long 12's,) 46 guns, and had her crew 
reduced, by prizes, to '255 men ; and, the Essex Junior, 
which was not competent to resist a sloop of war, mount- 
ing 20 guns, and having on board 60 men, were thus 
blockaded by a force of 81 guns and 500 men. 

After cruising at the entrance to the harbour for 6 
weeks, the Phcebe hove to, fired a gun to windward, and 
hoisted a motto flag, with the words, " God and our Coun- 
try; British Sailors' best rights; Traitors offend both;" 
in answer, as it was thought, to captain Porter*s motto 
of "Free Trade and Sailors' Rights." On the mizen of 
the Essex, a flag was immediately hoisted, with the words, 
"God, our Country, and Liberty; Tyrants oft'end them," 
and she got under weigh, and commenced a fire on the 
Phcebe. Captain Porter conceived the movements of the 
Phoebe to be intended as a challenge to engage him, ship 
to ship ; but, on discovering that the Phcebe ran down to 
her consort, he felt convinced that commodore Hillyar 
would not engage the Essex alone. This conclusion was 
confirmed by the conduct of the two vessels, in keeping 
constantly within hail of each other. 

Captain Porter, having now learned that the Tagus and 
2 other frigates, had also sailed for the Pacific, in pursuit 
of him; not knowing at what time they might gain the 
squadron already blockading him, and seeing no advan- 
tages which his country could obtain by his remaining 
longer in port, determined on putting to sea; and ex- 
pected, by drawing off the Phoebe and Cherub in pursuit 
of him, to afford an opportunity to the Essex Junior, to 
^hich he had appointed a rendezvous, of escaping. 

On the 28th of March, the day after this determination 
was formed, the wind came on to blow fresh from the 
southward, and the Essex parted her larboard cable, and 
dragged her starboard anchor directly out to sea ; the oc- 
currences which followed, are thus described in captain 
Porter's official letter :* 

* This letter, together with an account of the entire cruise 
of the Essex — of the possession of the island of Nooaheevah, by 
captain Porter, in the name of the United States— of the inter- 
course established with the natives in behalf of his government 
— of the destruction of the enemy's commerce in those seas — 
pf the immense expense which it cost the British govern- 



244 HISTORICAL SKETCHES , 

" Not a moment was to be lost, in getting sail on the 
" ship. The enemy were close in with the point form- 
" ing the west side of the bay; but, on opening them, I 
" saw a prospect of passing to windward, wlien I took in 
" my topgallant-sails, which were set over single reefed 
" top-sails, and braced up for this purpose ; but, on 
" rounding the point, a heavy squall struck the ship, and 
" carried away her main-topmast, precipitating" the men 
" who were aloft, into the sea, who were drowned. Both 
** ships now gave chase to me ; and, I endeavoured, in 
" my disabled state, to regain the port ; but, finding I 
" could not recover the common anchorage, I ran close 
" into a small bay, about three quarters of a. mile to lee- 
" ward of the battery, on the east side of the harbour, 
*' and let go my anchor within pistol shot of the shore, 
" where I intended to repair my damages, as soon as pos- 
*' sible. The enemy continued to approach, and showed 
" an evident intention of attacking us, regardless of the 
" neutrality of the place where I was anchored. The 
" caution observed in their approach to the attack of the 
" crippled Essex, M^as truly ridiculous; as was their dis- 
" play of their motto flags, and the number of jacks at 
" the mast heads. I, with as much expedition as circum- 
" stances would admit of, got my ship ready for action, 
" and endeavoured to get a spring on my cable, but had 
" not succeeded, when the enemy, at 54 minutes after 3 
" P. M. made his attack; the Phcebe placing herself un- 
** der my stern, and the Cherub on my starboard bow ; 
" but, the Chenib soon finding her situation a hot one, 
" bore up and ran under my steraalso, where both ships 
" kept Up a hot raking fire. I had got three long 12 poun- 
" ders out at the stern ports, which were worked with so 
" much bravery and skill, that in half an hour, we so dis- 
" abied both, as to compel them to haul off to repair da- 
" mages. In the course of this firing, I had, by the great 
" exertions of Mr. Edward Barnwell, the acting sailing 

ment to pursue and capture the Essex — and, of the transactions 
which took place, between the different tribes of natives in the 
Washington groiip, and the fleet with which he appeared there, 
are to be found in a " Journal," published by captain Porter, and 
accompanied by several engraved plans of those places, of the 
harbour of Valparaiso, and a view of the battle betAveeu the 
Phoebe and Cherub, and the Essex. 



OF THE LATE WAR. 245 

** master, assisted by Mr. Linscott, the boatswain, suc- 
" ceeded in getting springs on our cables, three different 
" times ; but, the fire of the enemy was so excessive, 
" that, before we could get our broadside to bear, they 
" were shot away, and thus rendered useless to us. My 
" ship had received many injuries, and several had been 
" killed and wounded ; but, my brave officers and men, 
" notwithstanding the unfavourable circumstances under 
" which we were brought to action, and the powerful 
" force opposed to us, were noways discouraged ; all ap- 
" peared determined to defend their ship to the last ex- 
" tremity, and to die in preference to a shameful sur- 
" render. Our gaff, with the ensign and motto flag at 
" the mizen, had been shot away; but, free trade and 
" sailors' rights, continued to fly at the fore. Our en- 
" sign was replaced by another, and to guard against a 
" similar event, an ensign was made fast in the mizen rig- 
" ging, and several jacks were hoisted in different parts 
" of the ship. The enemy soon repaired his damages 
" for a fresh attack: he now placed himself, with both 
" his ships, on my starboard quarter, out of the reach of 
*' my carronades, and where my stern guns could not be 
" brought to bear; he there kept up a most galling fire, 
" which it was out of my power to return, when I saw 
" no prospect of injuring him, witiiout getting under 
" weigh and becoming the assailant. My topsail sheets 
" and haulyards were all shot away, as well as the jib and 
" foretopm.ast staysail haulyards. The only rope not cut 
" was the flying-jib haulyards, and that being the only 
'* sail I could set, I caused it to be hoisted, my cable to 
** be cut, and ran down on both ships, with an intention 
" of laying the Phoebe on board. The firing on both sides 
" was now tremendous. I had let fall my foretopsail and 
** foresail ; but the want of tacks and sheets had rendered 
" them almost useless to us ; yet, we were enabled, for 
" a short time, to close with the enemy ; and, although 
" our decks were now strew^ed with dead, and our cock- 
" pit filled with wounded ; although our ship had been se- 
" veral times on fire, and was rendered a perfect wreck, 
" we were still encouraged to hope to save her, from the 
" circumstances of the Cherub, from her crippled state, 
** being compelled to haul off. She did not return to close 
" action again, although she apparently had it in her 

X2 



^46 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

" power to do so, but kept up a distant firing with her 
" long guns. The Phcebe, from our disabled state, was 
" enabled, however, by edging off, to choose the distance 
" which best suited her long guns, and kept up a tremen- 
" dous fire on us, which mowed down my brave compa- 
" nions by the dozen. Many of my guns had been ren- 
" dered useless by the enemy's shot, and many of them 
" had their whole crews destroyed. AVe manned them 
" again, from those which were disabled, and one gun in 
" particular was three times manned; 15 men were slain 
" at it in the course of the action ! But strange as it may 
" appear, the captain of it escaped with only a slight 
" wound. Finding that the enemy had it in his power to 
" choose his distance, I now gave up all hopes of closing 
•* with him ; and, as the wind, for the moment, seemed to 
" favour the design, I determined to endeavour to run 
" her on shore, land my men, and destroy her. Every 
" tiling seemed to favour my wishes. We had approach- 
*' ed the shore within musket shot, and I had no doubt of 
*' succeeding, when, in an instant, the wind shifted from 
" the land, (as is very common in this port in the latter 
"•part of the day) and payed our head down on the Phcebe, 
" where we were again exposed to a dreadful raking fire. 
" My ship was now totally unmanageable ; yet, as her 
" head was toward the enemy, and he to leeward of me, 
" I still hoped to be able to board him. At this moment, 
" lieutenant commandant Downes came on board to re- 
" ceive my orders, under the impression that I should 
" soon be a prisoner. He could be of no use to me, in 
" the then wretched state of the Essex ; and, finding 
" (from the enemy putting liis helm up) tliat my last at- 
" tempt at boarding would not succeed, I directed him 
" after he had been about ten minutes on board, to return 
" to his own ship, to be prepared for defending and de- 
" stroying her, in case of attack. He took with him seve- 
" ral of my wounded, leaving three of his boat's crew on 
" board, to make room for them. The slaughter on 
" board my ship had now become horrible, the enemy 
" continuing to rake us, and we unable to bring a gun to 
"bear. I therefore directed a hawser to be bent to the 
" sheet anchor, and the anchor to be cut from the bows 
" to bring her head round : this succeeded. We again 
"got our broadside to bear; and, as the enemy was 



OF THE LATE WAR. 247 

" much crippled, and unable to hold his own, I have no 
" doubt he would soon have drifted out of gun shot, be- 
" fore he discovered we had anchored, had not the haw- 
" ser unfortunately parted. My ship had taken fire seve- 
" ral times during the action, but alarmingly so forward 
" and aft at this moment, the flames were bursting up 
" each hatchway, and no hopes were entertained of sav- 
" ing her ; our distance from the shore did not exceed 
" three quarters of a mile, and I hoped many of my brave 
" crew would be able to save themselves, should the ship 
"blow up, as I was informed the fire was near the maga- 
" zine, and the explosion of a large quantity of powder 
" below, served to increase the horrors of our situation. 
" Our boats were destroyed by the enemy's shot; I, there- 
" fore directed those who could swim, to jump overboard, 
^' and endeavour to gain the shore. Some reached it, 
" some were taken by the enemy, and some perished in 
" the attempt ; but most preferred sharing with me the 
*' fa'te of the ship. We, who remained, now turned our 
'* attention wholly to extinguish the flames ; and, when 
" we had succeeded, went again to our guns, where the 
" firing was kept up for some minutes; but the crew had 
" by this time, become so weakened, that they all de- 
" clared to me the impossibility of making further resist- 
" ance, and entreated me to surrender my ship, to save 
'* the wounded, as all further attempt at opposition, must 
" prove inelFectual, almost every gun being disabled, by 
" the destruction of their crews." 

Captain Porter then summoned his officers of divisions 
to a consultation, but, to his surprise, his summons was 
attended by only one remaining officer, acting lieutenant 
M'Knight, who made the same report concerning the 
condition of the guns. Lieutenant Wilmer had been 
knocked overboard by a splinter, and was drowned; act- 
ing lieutenant Cowell had lost a leg, of which loss he af- 
terwards died ; Mr. Barnwell, the acting master, had 
been twice severely wounded ; the acting lieutenant Oden- 
heimer, had been knocked overboard about the same 
time, and did not regain the ship until she had surren- 
dered; many of the wounded were killed, while in the 
hands of the surgeons ; the cockpit, the steerage, the 
ward-room, and the birth-deck, could contain no more ; 
and, such was the quantity of shot holes in the bottom of 



$48 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

the Essex, that, unless she was very soon repaired, the 
carpenter reported she must inevitably sink. The smooth- 
ness of the water, and the impossibility of reaching the 
enemy, with the carronades, enabled him to fire witn the 
most deliberate aim at the Essex, and, seeing no hope of 
saving his little frigate, captain Porter, at twenty minutes 
past 6 P. M. gave orders to strike the colours. At this 
moment, 75 men only, including officers, were all that 
remained of the crew, fit for duty, and several of these 
severely wounded. The Essex had now yielded to the 
superior force of the enemy, who, nevertheless, still fired, 
and continued to do so, ten minutes after her surrender. 
Many of the crew were, in this time, killed : an opposite 
gun had been fired, to show that she intended no further 
resistance, yet commodore Hillyar still assailed her, and 
four men fell at the side of her commander. Conceiv- 
ing, from this conduct, that the enemy intended to show 
no quarter, captain Porter determined to die with his 
flag flying, and was on the point of re-hoisting it, wlien 
the firing ceased. 

In addition to the officers already mentioned, captain 
Porter speaks of Messrs. Johnson, and Bostwick, acting 
officers; of midshipmen Isaacs, Farragut, and Qgden, and 
acting midshipmen, Terry, Lyman, and Duzenbury, hav- 
ing behaved with much bravery, enterprise and skill. 

Such was the condition of both the Phcebe and the Es- 
sex, that it was with extreme difficulty they could be kept 
afloat until they anchored in Valparaiso. All the masts 
and yards of the two British vessels were crippled, and 
their hulls cut up. The Phoebe had eighteen 12 pound 
shot below her water line, though the Essex never reach- 
ed the enemy, but with her six 12 pounders. All the ves- 
sels were obliged to be repaired, to double Cape Horn, 
and, at Rio de Janeiro, they put in, to fit up and repair, to 
enable them to reach England. 

In an engagement of 2 hours and 20 minutes dura- 
tion, between one ship of 46 guns, six only of which could 
be used, and two vessels of 81 guns, the loss on the infe- 
rior side must necessarily have been excessively severe. 
On board the Essex, 58 men were killed ; 39 severely, 
and 26 slightly, wounded; and 31 missing; making a 
total loss of 154. On board the Phcebe and Cherub, the 
loss, was not small. The first lieutenant of the former 



OF THE LATE WAR. 249 

^vas killed, and captain Tucker, of the latter, severely 
wounded. 

Commodore Hill jar made arrangements with captain 
Porter, in consideration of his conduct to the crew of the 
Alert; by which, the Essex Junior was to be dismantled 
of her armament, and given up to the prisoners, who were 
to proceed in her to the United States. Accordingly, on 
^e 27th of April, captain Porter and his crew left Valpa- 
raiso in that ship, which, under lieutenant Downes, was 
furnished with a passport, to secure her admission into 
any of the blockaded ports of the United States. On the 
5th July, they fell in with the Saturn razee, captain Mash, 
who sufferecl the Essex Junior to proceed, after an exa- 
mination of her papers. Two hours after, being on the 
same tack with the Saturn, she was again brought to, 
the papers re-examined, and the hold overhauled, by the 
boat's crew and an officer. Captain Porter was informed 
that commodore Hillyar had. no authority to make any 
arrangement, by which this ship should be given up, and 
that she must therefore be detained. He immediately 
ordered out a boat, manned it with a sufficient crew, and 
pulled off from the Essex Junior. The Saturn did not 
discover him, until he was out of gun shot, when she 
chased the boat, without success; and captain Porter 
landed at Long Island, upwards of 30 miles from the 
place at which he left the Essex, and immediately pro- 
ceeded to New York, where he arrived, after an absence 
from his country of 19 months, and to which port he was 
follow^ed, a few days after, by the Essex Junior. 

The United States' sloop of war Peacock, captain L. 
Warrington, of 20 guns, and 160 men, Avas launched in 
the month of October, 1813 — performed a cruise during 
that winter — escaped the pursuit of the enemy into St. 
Mary's — put to sea again, and on the 29th of April, dis- 
covered the British sloop of war Epervier, captain Wales, 
of 18 guns, and 128 men, having under convoy an English 
brig, and a Russian and a Spanish ship, all of whom made 
sail, on the approach of the Peacock. An engagement 
followed, soon ^ter, between the two vessels of war; and, 
at the first broadside from the Epervier, the foreyard of 
the Peacock was totally disabled, by two round shot in 
the starboard quarter. By this circumstance, she was 
deprived of the use of her fore and fore top sails, and 



250 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

captain Warrington was compelled to keep his ship large 
throughout the action, which continued 42 minutes. In 
this time, she received many shot through her sails and 
rig;ging, lost several top-mast and top gallant back-stays, 
and had 2 men wounded. Her hull not at all injured, and 
none of the crew killed. The Epervier struck, with 5 
feet water in her hold, her main top-mast over the side ; 
her main boom shot away, her fore mast cut nearly in 
two, and tottering j her fore rigging and stays shot away, 
her bowspnt much injured; her hull pierced by 45 shot, 
20 of which were within a foot of her water line, and 11 
of her crew killed, and her first lieutenant, and 14 men 
wounded. She was immediately taken possession of by 
lieutenant Nicholson, first officer of the Peacock, who, 
with lieutenant Voorhees, of the same ship, had been dis- 
tinguished in another naval combat. 8118,000 in specie, 
were found on board the Epervier, and transferred to the 
Peacock; and captain Warrington, having received on 
board the officers of the enemy's vessel, pursued his 
course to one of the southern ports, in company with his 
prize, after repairing her with the utmost diligence. 

At half past 5 P. M. on the following day, being almost 
off the centre of Amelia Island, captain Warrington dis- 
covered two large sail in chase, which he ascertained to 
be frigates. At the suggestion of lieutenant Nicholson, 
he took all the prisoners out of the Epervier, and leaving 
a crew of only 15 men on board, directed her to make the 
best of her way to St. Mary's, whilst he stood on the wind 
along shore, to the southward. The frigates then sepa- 
rated, one being in chase of the Peacock, and the other of 
the Epervier. At 9 that night, the Peacock lost sight of 
the chaser, but continued all night to the southward. At 
daylight of the first of May, slie shortened sail, and stood 
to the ndrthward, discovered the frigate again, and was a 
second time chased, until 2 P. M. when the frigate gave 
up. In the evening, she resumed her cruise, fell in with 
the frigate a third time, on the morning of the 2d, and was 
again chased until she lost sight. On the morning of the 
4th, she made Tybee light house, at the entrance of Sa- 
vannah, and arrived at that port in the course of the day. 
Here captain Warrington found his prize, the Epervier, 
which had escaped with great difficulty, after beating oft' 
a launch well manned and armed, which had beeh des- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 251 

patched from the frigate to overtake her. Lieutenant Ni- 
cholson, by his judgment and decision, which had never 
been known to desert him in times of peril and difficulty, 
prevented her recapture. The Epervier was repaired, 
refitted, bought int^the service at Savannah, and the com- 
mand given to captain Downes, of the Essex Junior. 

The conduct of lieut. Henly ; of midshipmen Greeves 
and Rodgers; Mr. Townsend, captain's clerk, and Mr. 
Myers, master's mate, is represented by captain War- 
rington to have been cool, determined, and active. The 
sailing master, Percival, the same who captured the ten- 
der Eagle, off Sandy Hook; handled th? ship in a very 
superior style, and placed her in such situations as were 
most advantageous, with much ease and professional skill. 

The new sloop of war the Wasp, captain Blakeley, 
mounting 20 guns, having been completely equipped for 
a long cruise, sailed from Portsmouth on the 1st of May, 
1814, between which time and the 6th of the following 
July, she captured 7 merchantmen, and a brig of war, 
the Reindeer, captain Manners, of 18 guns, and one shift- 
ing gun, and 118 men. This capture was made after an 
action of 19 minutes, in lat. 48, 36, N. and long. 11, 15, 
W. On that day, at 15 minutes after 4 A. M. tlie Wasp 
being in pursuit of two sail before the lee beam, disco- 
vered the Reindeer on the weather beam, and imm':diate- 
ly altered her course, and hauled by in chase of her. The 
pursuit continued until half past meridian, when the Rein- 
deer, having previously hoisted an English ensign and 
pendant, showed a blue and white flag at the fore, and 
fired a gun. At 15 minutes past 1, captain Blakeley call- 
ed all hands to quarters, and prepared for action. At 22 
minutes past 1, he tacked ship, and stood for the Rein- 
deer, with an expectation of being able to weather her. 
At 50 minutes past 1, the Reindeer tacked and stood from 
the Wasp. 56 minutes past 1, the Wasp hoisted her co- 
lours, and fired a gun to wmdward, which was answered. 
The chase was kept up until 32 minutes past 2, when the 
Reindeer tacked for the Wasp ; an;^ the latter took in her 
stay sails, and furled the royals. Captain Blakeley hav- 
ing now discovered that the Reindeer wouhl weather 
him, immediately tacked ship; and at 15 minutes past 1, 
the Reindeer being on his v/eather quarter, at 60 yards 
distance, fired her shifting gun, a 12 pound carronade* 



252 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

loaded with round and grape shot. At 17 minutes past 
3, the same gun was fired again; at 19 minutes past 3, it 
was fired a third time ; at 21 minutes past 3, a fourth 
time ; and at 24 minutes past 3, a fifth time. The Rein- 
deer not getting sufficiently on the beam of the Wasp, the 
latter was compelled to receive these repeated discharges 
without being able to bring a gun to bear. Her helm was 
therefore put a-lee, and at 26 minutes past 3, captain 
Blakeley commenced the action with his after carronade, 
on the starboard side, and fired in succession. The main- 
sail was then hauled up. .At 40 mijiutes past 3, the Rein- 
deer's larboard bow being in contact with the larboard 
quarter of the Wasp, captain Manners directed his crew 
to board her. The attempt was gallantly repulsed by the 
crew of the Wasp, who several times beat off the enemy; 
and at 44 minutes past 3, were ordered to board in turn. 
Throwing themselves with great promptitude upon the 
deck of the Reindeer, they succeeded in the execution of 
their orders, and her flag came down at 45 minutes past 
3. In a line with her ports she was cut almost to pieces ; 
her upper works, boats, and spare spars, entirely de- 
stroyed, and on the following day her fore mast went by 
the board. 25 of her crew were killed, and 42 wounded, 
making a loss of 67 men. On board the Wasp, the inju- 
ry sustained was not so material. Her rigging was de- 
stroyed, however, in several places, her foremast pierced 
through by a 24-pound ball, and her hull struck by 6 
round shot, and many grape, though not with sufficient 
force to penetrate far. Her loss amounted to 5 killed, 
and 21 wounded, principally in boarding. Among the 
latter, midshipmen Langdon and Toscan, both of whom 
expired some days after. Having received the prisoners 
and their baggage on board the Wasp, captain Blakeley 
blew up the Reindeer on the evening of the 29th, and 
sailed for L'Orient to provide for the disabled part of 
each crew, whose wounds had become offensive in con- 
sequence of the intense heat of the weather. He arrived 
at that port on the 6th of July, and found that their da- 
mage could be repaired by the cai^penters of the ship in a 
few days. 

In this action, lieutenants Bury and Reily, who had 
been in the engagements with the Guerriere and Java, 
and lieutenant Tillinghast (2d), who was instrumental 



OF THE LATE AVAR. '253 

to the capture of tiie Boxer, maintained the high credit 
which they acquired on those previous occasions. And 
captain Blakeley, whose reputation as a skilful seaman, 
and an expert navigator, is not surpassed by any naval 
officer, had his crew so well drilled, upon the principles of 
marine discipline, that they never despaired of vanquishing 
an equal force of their enemy. 

In the port of L'Orient, the AVasp was detained by 
head winds until the 27th August, having been anchored 
there 52 days. During this time, every attention was 
given to her officers and crew by the inhabitants, and 
their situation, in a foreign port, rendered particularly 
agreeable by the assiduities of the American minister. 

After leaving that place, and capturing two valuable 
British merchantmen, captain Blakeley fell in with a con- 
voy of 10 sail, on the 1st of September, under the protec- 
tion of the Armada 74, and a bomb ship. He stood for 
them, and succeeded in cutting out of the squadron, a 
brig laden with brass and. iron cannon, and military 
stores, from Gibraltar; and after taking out the prison- 
ers, and setting her on fire, he endeavoured to cut out 
another vessel, but was driven off by the 74. In the even- 
ing, at half past 6, he discovered 2 vessels on his lar- 
board, and 2 on the starboard bow, and hauled for that 
which was farthest to windward. At 7, she was made 
out to be a brig of war, making signals with flags, which 
could not be distinguished, owing to the darkness of the 
night; and at 29 minutes past 9, she was under the lee 
bow of the Wasp. Captain Blakeley ordered the 12-pound 
carronade to be fired into her, and received a return from 
the stranger. The Wasp then ran under the lee bow of 
the enemy to prevent her escape, and immediately com- 
menced an action which continued until 10 o'clock, when 
captain Blakeley, supposing his antagonist to be silenced, 
ceased firing, and hailed to know if she had surrendered. 
No answer being given to this demand, he recommenced 
firing, and the enemy returned him broadside for broad- 
side. At 12 minutes past 10, the enemy having made 
no return to the two last broadsides, was again hailed to 
know if he had surrendered. Captain Blakeley was in- 
formed that the vessel being in a sinking condition, her 
commander had struck his colours. The Wasp's boats 
were immediately lowered, when a second brig of war 

Y 



254 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

was discovered a little distance astern, standing tor lier. 
The crew were instantly sent to their quarters, and pre- 
jjarations made for another engagement. The Wasp was 
laying to for the approach of the second stranger, when 
at 36 minutes past 10, two other brigs were discovered 
standing also for her. Under these circumstances, captain 
Blakeley was prevented from taking possession of his prize, 
and keeping off the wind, witli an expectation of drawing 
the brig, first discovered, after him, he ordered new braces 
to be rove, to replace those which had been shot away. 
His expectations were not, however, answered, the brig 
of war continuing in pursuit only until she was near 
enough under his stern, to give him a broadside, and re- 
turn to her companions. This she did, and cut the rig- 
ging and sails, and shot away a lower main cross tree 
of the Wasp. 

The name and force of the prize has since been ascer- 
tained. She was the sloop of war Avon, captain Arbuth- 
not, of the same numl)er of guns as the Reindeer, and 
sunk immediately after the Castilian (the vessel which 
chased the Wasp) had taken out her last man. Accord- 
ing to the enemy's account, her captain was wounded in 
both legs. The first lieutenant and 8 men killed, and 
the second lieutenant, 1 midshipman, and 31 men, 
wounded. 

The Wasp received in her hull, four 32-pound shot, and 
in her mainmast a number of grape shot. Her sails and 
rigging were much damaged, but her loss in men amount- 
ed to only 2 killed, and 1 wounded. She repaired her 
damages on the succeeding day, and continued to cruise, 
in conformity to her instructions from the navy depart- 
ment. On the 21st of September, she captured, off the 
Madeiras, her thirteenth prize, the Biitish brig Atalanta, 
of 8 guns, and the only one which she sent into port. — 
This vessel arrived at Savannah, in the beginning of 
November, under the command of Mr. Geisingen, one of 
the officers of the Wasp, with despatclies from captain 
Blakeley. 

The Atalanta left the Wasp, at sea, on the 23d of Sep- 
tember, without knowing the destination to which her 
further cruise would convey her, and, since that time, no 
official accounts have been received from her. Her 
cruise was, therefore, most brilliant and unparalleled, her 



OF THE LATE WAK. 25 J 

sailor* all young, athletic, brave and enthusiastic, and 
her oiRcers among the most skilful in the service. The 
public mind has been, therefore, greatly agitated, by ap- 
prehensions about her safety; and her return to port 
looked for, witli painful anxiety, by the people of the 
whole country. 



CIIAFIER XVII. 



Froposed plan of ojjerations in Lower Canada — The army 
quit the quarters at French Mills — Incursion of the 
British to Malone — Smugglers — Movement against La 
Colle — Concentration of the British forces at Isle aux 
Jfoix — General Wilkinson's recal — Establishment of a 
battery at Otter Creek — British appear at its mouth — 
*^rg repulsed — Operations on Ontario — Lieutenant 
Dudley — Defence of Fort Oswego — Second appearance 
of the British there — Attack upon Charlotte town, on 
Genessee Mi ver — British land at Poultneyville*— Block- 
ade of Sackefs Harbour — Jin engagement at Sandy 
Creek, and capture of the ivhole British force — The 
British fleet retire to Kingston — The Jimericans block- 
ade them — Jin affair near Odeltown — Death of colonel 
Forsythe — Eocpeditioyi against Long Point, Canada — 
Colonel Baubee taken prisoner — Incursion to Long 
Wood, Canada, and defeat of the British. 

In tlie winter of 1813, we left the northern army, 
under general Wilkinson, in quarters, the right division 
being at Champlain, and the left, and largest, at French 
Mills. Between that time and the spring of 1814, seve- 
ral plans of attack upon the posts of St. Philip, L'Acadie 
and St. John's, by the route of Hammerford, La Tortue 
and St. Piere, and for a simultaneous movement against 
Cornwall, with a view to cut off the communication be- 
tween the Upper and Lower Provinces, were submitted 
to the war department, by the commander in chief. — 
Before the propositions were received at the department, 



256 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

orders had been forwarded to Salmon river, directing the 
general to withdraw his forces from Frencli Mills; to for- 
ward 2000 men, with a proportion of field and battering 
I cannon, under general Brown, to Sacket's Harbour ; and 
to fall back, with the residue of the troops, stores, and 
baggage, to Plattsburg. 

In conformity to tliese orders, the flotilla, in which the 
army had descended the St. Lawrence, was destroyed on 
the night of the 12th of February; the barracks were fired 
on the succeeding day, and the troops abandoned their 
quarters, and marched toward the several places of their 
destination. 

General Wilkinson had scarcely reached Plattsburg, 
before he was apprised of a movement of the enemy, 
with a view to the capture of a few sick men, whose ex- 
treme illness rendered it indispensable they should be left 
in the hospital at Malone, a short distance from the Mills. 
He, therefore, determined on their expulsion from the 
territory, in time to prevent the achievement of their ob- 
ject, and having made proper arrangements, for the con- 
venience and comfort of the sick at their new quarters, 
he marched witji all possible expedition to meet and re- 
pulse the enemy. 

Colonel Scott, of tlie 103d British regiment, command- 
ed the expedition against French Mills and Malone, com- 
posed of 2000 regulars, Glengarians, and militia, and ac- 
companied by nearly 300 guides and followers. He cross- 
ed over to the Mills on tlie 21st, burned the arsenal at 
Malone, pillaged tiie property of individuals, and carried 
off several barrels of public provisions. But, hearing of 
the approach of the Ameiican troops, he retreated in great 
confusion, though not without «lestroying the bridges in 
his rear. The whole party suffered severely by a tre- 
mendous storm of snow and hail, which prevailed at the 
close of the day, and lost upwards of 200 deserters, who 
surrendered themselves to the American army. 

During the following month (March), the troops were 
not otherwise engaged than in breaking up a system of 
smuggling, which had been carried on for several previous 
months, and which, at this period, was extended to an 
alarming and dangerous degree. 

Near the close of March, general Wilkinson deter- 



OF THE 1.ATE WAll. 257 

mined on establishing a battery at Rouse's Point, where 
he had previously discovered a position well adapted for 
a work, to keep in check the contemplated movement of 
the British fleet, destined to operate upon the lake Cham- 
plain, and which had been laid up during the winter, at 
St. John's, about 21 miles below the mouth of the La 
Colle, and 26 from Rouse's Point. After this position had 
been reconnoitred by his engineer', major Totten, he made 
an attempt to carry this object into execution, but the 
sudden and unseasonable breaking up of the ice, defeated 
the plan ; and, being informed that the enemy had taken 
the alarm, and was condensing a force of 2500 men, at 
La Colle mill, 4 miles from Rouse's Point, he determin- 
ed, on the opinion of his leading officers, and a report that 
the walls could be effectually battered, with a 6-pounder, 
to attack it. On the 30th, he accordingly entered Cana- 
da, and was met by a party of the enemy at Odelltown, 
whom he forced back more than three miles, on the route 
to Montreal, in the course of which, much skirmishing 
took place. He then resumed his march to La Colle mill, 
a large and lofty fortified stone house, measuring 60 feet 
by 40, and at that time in command of major Hancock, 
and a strong corps of British regulars. 

To drive the enemy from this post, and to effect its 
destruction, general Wilkinson ordered forward an 18- 
pounder, and disposed his troops so as to intercept him 
in an attempt to retreat. The only road of approach be- 
ing through a deep forest, almost inundated, and covered 
with insuj-mountable obstructions, to the passage of a 
heavy piece of cannon, the 18-pounder could not be 
brouglit up, and the general determined upon attempting 
a breach with a twelve and a five and an half inch howit- 
zer. He took post with those pieces, under command of 
captain M'Pherson and his seconds, lieutenants Larrabee 
and Siieldon, at a distance of 250 yards from the fortified 
house, and covered them with the 2d brigade, composed 
of the 33d, 34th, 4th, and 10th regiments, and part of co- 
lonel Clarke's command, under brigadier general Smith, 
on the right; and the 3d brigade, composed of the 14th 
and 20th, under brigadier general Bissel, on the left. Co- 
lonel Miller was detached with the 6th and 12th, and 

Y2 



258 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

part of the 13th, to cross the La CoUe, and form a line 
across the several roads leading from the stone house on 
the opposite side of the river, to cut off the retreat of the 
British regulars. Brigadier general M'Comb, with a se- 
lect corps of the 1st brigade, formed the reserve. All 
these regiments were mere skeletons consolidated. This 
disposition being completed, the battery was immediately 
opened upon the enemy, who promptly returned the fire, 
and threw numbers of Congreve rockets upon the right 
wing of the American line. From these manifestations 
of deliberate and circumspect preparation, the comman- 
der of the American forces was induced to believe the 
report, that the number of the enemy amounted to 2500 ; 
his strength was inferior to that, however, though compe- 
tent under the cover of strong walls, to repel an attack 
from a much larger number of assailants. 

The stone house stood upon that side of the river on 
which general Wilkinson had drawn up his line ; a block- 
house of wood stood on the other ; and both were encom- 
passed by an open piece of ground, on the edge of a wood, 
bordering upon which the Americans had taken post; 
every officer, therefore, from the lowest subaltern up to 
the commander in chief, was exposed to the enemy's fire. 
Here the general made proper arrangements to keep his 
corps in order, to receive a combined attack, and conti- 
nued to cannonade the house, but without being able to 
effect a breach, although the guns were managed with un- 
common skill, by officers accustomed to their use. Cap- 
tain M'Pherson had been already wounded under the 
chin; this wound he immediately bound up, and conti- 
nued to direct the fire from his piece, until a second shot 
broke his thigh, and rendered him unfit for further duty. 
His next ofhcer, lieutenant Larrabee, was shot through 
the lungs, and lieutenant Sheldon kept up the fire with 
great vivacity, until the close of the engagement. The 
conduct of these gentlemen was represented by their 
commander to be "so conspicuously gallant as to attract 
the admiration of their brothers in arms." 

Relying on the firmness and intrepidity of his troops, 
and seeing that the Americans were resolved on the lon- 
ger maintenance of the cannonade, the British comman- 
der, major Hancock, determined on issuing a strong party 



OF THE LATE WAR. 259^ 

from the house to storm the battery, and put the assail- 
ants to flight. He gave orders for a sudden and imme- 
diate sortie, and several desperate charges were attempt- 
ed upon the cannon. These were successively repulsed 
by the covering troops, and the enemy's regulars obliged 
to retire to the fortified building, with considerable loss. 
They then shut themselves up in the house, and con- 
vinced of their ability to retain their position, put at de- 
fiance the utmost eftbrts of the Americans ; and general 
.Wilkinson being now persuaded of the impracticability 
of making an impression, with such light pieces, upon a 
solid stone wall, found upon experiment to be of unusual 
thickness, called in his detachments, withdrew his batte- 
ry, and having previously removed his dead and wounded, 
fell back to Odelltown at about 6 o'clock of the same day. 
Thence he moved to Champlain and Plattsburg, at which 
latter place he established his quarters. The American 
loss in this affair amounted to 140 in killed and wounded; 
among the latter lieutenants Green and Parker, of the 
infantry. The enemy's loss was known to be considera- 
ble in the sortie, but the amount has never been accurate- 
ly ascertained. 

Immediately after the incursion to La Colle, the whole 
regular force of Lower Canada, and a battalion of Glen- 
garians from Coteau de Lac, were concentrated at Isle 
aux Noix, and a large number of batteaux collected at St. 
John's. The former awaiting the movement of the Bri- 
tish fleet, whose boats were employed in tlie daily exami- 
nation of the ice on the lake, on the breaking up of which 
such movement depended. This event took place in the 
beginning of the month of April, and early in May the 
British flotilla entered lake Champlain. 

Previously to their appearance on the lake, general 
Wilkinson had been recalled from that district, by an or- 
der from the department, of the 24th March. But, being 
apprised of the equipment of the enemy's flotilla, and of 
their intention to blockade the mouth of Otter creek, 
leading to the town of Vergennes, where the American 
fleet lay waiting for their armament, he, notwithstanding 
this order, visited the capes at its entrance, conferred 
with commodore Macdonough at Vergennes, and made 
arrangements to erect a battery and fortify that point — 



260 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

This precaution proved to be of incalculable service, and 
amply provided against an attempt to obstruct the pas- 
sage of the American squadron into the lake. 

On the 13th of May, not long after the battery had been 
constructed on the cape, a bomb vessel, and 8 large row 
gallies were stationed, by the enemy, across the entrance 
of the creek, with a view to its blockade, and to cut oft" 
supplies for a new ship just then completing, and in- 
tended to be added to the American squadron. Captain 
Thornton, of the light artillery, was despatched to defend 
the battery, and commodore Macdonough placed a num- 
ber of sailors, under lieutenant Cassin, of the navy, to 
co-operate With the artillery. A new large gun brig, and 
several other gallies, being at the same time about two 
miles in the rear of the bomb vessel, suspicions were en- 
tertained of the enemy's intentions to land a detachment 
of troops, either to capture the provisions in the neigh- 
bourhood, or to assail the battery from the rear. General 
Davis, of the Vermont militia, immediately called out a 
detachment of his brigade, and made dispositions to re- 
sist an invasion. At daybreak on the morning of the 14th, 
the bomb ship opened her battery upon the new works, 
and continued the attack upwards of two hours, without 
doing any other injury than the dismounting of one gun. 
Captain Thornton, with his matrosses, and lieutenant 
Cassin, with his sailors, returned the fire with constant 
animation, compelled the enemy to withdraw from his po- 
sition, and captured two gallies, which the British seamen 
were obliged to abandon. The bomb ship, and the re- 
mainder of the gallies, stood off* to the other vessels, and 
the whole squadron proceeded down the lake, passed 
Burlington, and had some skirmishing with a small body 
of militia, under general Wright, who manoeuvred so well 
as to persuade the enemy that his force was much 
stronger. During the attack, commodore Macdonough 
attempted to bring the American vessels down the creelc, 
but did not succeed in reaching the mouth until the ene- 
my had departed. 

The enemy were not less active in their operations 
along the shores of the lake Ontario; and the command- 
ers of the rival armaments there, lost no time in prepar- 
ing and equipping their vessels, to take the lake early in 



OF THE LATE WAR. 261 

the spring. At the close of the preceding autumn, they 
had manoeuvred with uncommon skill, though not with 
equal success, the one to draw his enemy into an engage- 
ment, the other to avoid fighting, for the supremacy of 
the water, until his fleet should be augmented by an ad- 
ditional force. At Kingston, an immense vessel was 
building for that purpose; and, at Sacket's Harbour, a 
new ship was ordered, of a sufficient size to maintain 
the existing equality. Whilst these vessels were con- 
structing, various plans were continually adopted to de- 
stroy them, and all the caution of one party, became 
necessary to guard against the vigilance of the other. On 
one occasion, the 25th of April, three of the enemy's boats 
succeeded in getting close in with the harbour, when 
lieutenant Dudley, of the navy, being the officer of the 
guard, detected and fired upon them. Each boat was 
provided with two barrels of powder, attached to each 
other by means of ropes, and intended to be placed un- 
der the stocks of the vessels. Upon being fired at, they 
immediately threw the powder into the lake, to prevent 
an explosion of their own boats, and pulled oft' without 
returning a shot. 

Failing in all his attempts to destroy the hull of the 
new ship, the British commander determined upon inter- 
cepting her rigging, naval stores, and guns. These had 
been deposited at Oswego, about 60 miles from the har- 
bour, and thither sir James Yeo, and lieutenant general 
Drummond, resolved to sail with the whole fleet, and a 
competent number of troops, to land and storm the fort, 
and capture this valuable booty. Accordingly, on the 
5 th of May, sir James appeared before the fort, with 4 
large ships, 3 brigs, and a number of gun boats, barges 
and transports — the transports principally containing the 
troops of lieutenant general Drummond. The success- 
ful issue of this expedition, would have given to the Bri- 
tish forces, for a time at least, a decided superiority on 
the lake, and, without knowing that the stores had been 
previously removed from Oswego, they commenced an 
attack, which was kept up for nearly two days, the bril- 
liant and unusual resistance to which, did not, however, 
avail the American garrison. The fort mounted but 5 
old guns, 3 of which were almost useless, and had a shore 
battery of one 12-pounder. It had been garrisoned but a 



262 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

few days, by lieutenant colonel Mitchell of ilie artillery, 
and 290 men. The schooner Growler, having on board 
captain Woolsey and lieutenant Pearce of the navy, was 
at that time in Oswego creek, receiving the cannon which 
had not yet been removed. The enemy were no sooner 
discovered, than the Growler was sunk to prevent the 
capture of the cannon, and all the tents in store were im-- 
mediately pitched, on the village side of the creek, to 
persuade the enemy that the Americans were numerous. 
Under lieutenant Pearce, the few sailors of the Growler 
were added to the garrison; the shore battery was com- 
manded by captain Boyle, who was seconded by lieute- 
nant Legate. 

At about 1 o'clock, 15 large boats, crowded with troops, 
moved, at a given signal, to the shore, preceded by seve- 
ral gun boats, which were sent forward to cover the land- 
ing; whilst all the larger vessels opened a heavy fire upon 
the little fort. The contest was kept up with great vigour 
and equal vivacity; the fort itself returned a very anima- 
ted fire ; and the shore battery, succeeded twice in re- 
pulsing the debarking boats, and at length compelled 
them to retire to their shipping. The whole squadron 
then stood oft*, and anchored at a distance from the shore j 
one of their boats, being 60 feet in lenglh, and carrying 
36 oars and 3 sails, was so much shattered, that her crew 
abandoned her, and she fell into the hands of the Ameri- 
can artillery. 

Though tiie British were thus compelled to retire from 
the assault of tlie fort, it was by no means to be supposed 
that they had relinquished their intention of storming and 
possessing it. The immense superiority of their force 
and means, would not justify such a supposition, and co- 
lonel Mitchell was therefore particularly vigilant, fie sta- 
tioned picquet guards at the different points of debarka- 
tion, kept his men upon their arms during the nigiit, and 
neglected no measure of precaution. Mortified at so suc- 
cessful a resistance, by a force known to be so much in- 
ferior and protected by weak batteries, the enemy detei- 
mined to effect a landing under cover, as well of their 
large vessels, as of the gun boats, and at daybreak of the 
6th, they approached the shore again. They were early 
discovered coming up, under easy sail, and soon after 
tlie principal ship, tlie Wolf, and the other frigates, re- 



OF THE lATJK WAR. 26 3 

Sttnied their position before tlie fort and battery, whilst 
the brigs, schooners, and gun boats, proceeded higher up 
to cover, by their iire, the landing of the troops. The 
Wolf, and the frigates, kept up the cannonade for three 
hours, whilst the land forces, to the number of 1700, 
composed of one column of De Watteville regiment, led 
by lieutenant colonel Fischer, on the left; a second co- 
lumn of a battalion of marines, under lieutenant colonel 
Malcolm, supported by a detachment of 200 seamen, un- 
der captain Mulcaster, the second officer of the fleet, on 
the right; succeeded under a tremendous fire from the 
brigs and schooners, in gaining the shore, where their ad- 
vance was resisted by lieutenant Pearce of the navy, and 
a small party of seamen. The landing being eftected, co- 
lonel Mitchell withdrew to the rear of the fort, united 
with the sailors, two companies of artillerymen, under 
captain Melvin, and lieutenant Ansart, and assailed the 
invading columns, whilst the companies of captains M'ln- 
tire and Pierce of the heavy artillery engaged the enemy's 
flanks. Thus formed, he sustained a vigorous and des- 
perate conflict upwards of 30 minutes, in which great 
slaughter was made among the enemy, and a severe loss 
experienced by the troops of the garrison. Against a 
force, however, which amounted to ten times their own 
number, it was found useless for the Americans longer to 
contend; and colonel Mitchell accordingly fell back, about 
400 yards from the enemy, where he formed his troops 
and took up his march for the falls, IS miles in the rear 
of the fort, upon Oswego river, to which place the stores 
had been previously removed. He retired in such good 
order, as to be able to destroy the bridges in his rear, not- 
withstanding he was pressed by a numerous foe. 
",. The enemy then took possession of the fort, and bar- 
racks, but for the little booty which he obtained, consist- 
ing of a few barrels of provisions, and whiskey, he paid 
much more than an equivalent. His loss, in killed, 
amounted to 70; in wounded, drowned, and missing, 165; 
in all 235. Among these, were captain Haltaway killed, 
and captains Mulcaster, Popham, and Ledergrew, and 2 
lieutenants and 1 master wounded. In the noble and ob- 
stinate resistance which they made, the Americans lost 
lieutenant Blaney, an officer of high promise, and 5 men 
, killed, 38 wounded, and 25 missing ; in all 69 men. 



264 HISTORICAL SKETCHliS 

On the morning of the 7th, the enemy finding that the 
object of the expedition, though prosecuted with a force 
including the ships' crews, of 3000 men, had not been 
acliieved, evacuated the place, after firing the barracks, 
spiking some, and carrying olF others, of the guns. 

On the 9th, they returned to Oswego and sent a flag 
into the village, informing the inhabitants of their inten- 
tion of landing a large force to proceed to the falls for 
the execution of their original plan; but on being assured 
by the people that the stores had been removed from that 
place, and that the communication was cut off by the de- 
struction of the bridges, they quitted Oswego, and stood 
for Kingston. 

On the evening of the 12th, 4 ships, 2 brigs, and 5 gun 
boats, of this squadron, were discovered shaping their 
course for Charlotte, a town near the mouth of the Gen- 
nessee river. At this town, a corps of volunteers, amount- 
ing to 160 men, and having one field piece, had been 
stationed for its defence; and the commanding officer, on 
the appearance of the fleet, immediately despatched ex- 
presses to general P. B. Porter, who arrived there early 
on tlie morning of the 13th.— In answer to a flag, which 
had been sent ashore, with a demand for the surrender 
of the place, general Porter returned a positive refusal. , 
Two gun boats, carrying between 2 and 300 men, then 
entered the river, and opened a fire upon the town and. 
battery, which they continued, with little effect, for an 
hour and a half. The commodore sent in a second flag, 
with a repetition of his demand, accompanied by a threat 
to land 1200 regulars, to destroy the town. By this time 
the women and children were all removed, about 350 
militia collected, and dispositions made to cut off" the gun 
boats, if they should approach further up the river. Being 
well assured of the determination of his men, to resist the 
landing of the enemy, general Porter repeated his reply 
to the commodore's demand. At 8 o'clock on the morn- 
ing of the 15th, the gun boats retired to their shipping, 
after having thrown a great quantity of rockets, shells, 
and round shot, without doing any material injury, and 
the fleet took its departure from the vicinity of Charlotte. 

In the evening of the same day, this force proceeded 
to Poultneyville, a village on the border of the lake, and 
demanded the peaceable surrender of the public stores. ,, 



OF THE LATE WXB, 265 

The inhabitants were incompetent to repel the invaders, 
and the British commodore landed a party of sailors and 
marines, who captured a quantity of damaged flour, and 
were committing; depredations upon individual property, 
when the arrival ot brigadier general John Swift, of the 
New York mili.ia, with 130 volunteers, put them to a 
precipitate flight. Their boats hastily pulled ott* to the 
fleet, Avhen a vigorous cannonade commenced, and se- 
veral old iiouses were pierced by the 18 and 24-pound 
shot. The enemy did not attempt to re-land, but soon 
weighed anchor, and being joined by other vessels of the 
squadron, steered for Sacket's Harbour. 

Nine miles distant from the harbour the fleet cast an- 
chor, in difterent positions, on the 19th, to enable them 
to cut off all communication between it and other places 
on the lake. The new ship, the Superior, a frigate of 
uncommon beauty and dimensions, had been launched 
there on the 1st of the month. Her equipments, for th,e 
capture of which the enemy had so vigorously assaulted 
fort Oswego, had mostly arrived by land conveyances, 
and sir James Yeo being ignorant of this circumstance, 
and supposing th« Americans dependent entirely on their 
free and ready access to the lake, for the possession of 
these supplies, commenced the blockade of the harbour, 
witii the sole view of intercepting them. Upon learning, 
as he afterwards did, that the new ship was receiving her 
armament, and equipping with great expedition, he broke 
up the blockade, and proceeded with his fleet to Kingston. 

Some cannon and ordnance stores, intended for the 
vessels of the American fleet, had, in the mean time, ar- 
rived at Oswego from the interior. Another new ves- 
sel, intended to be called the Mohawk, was then on the 
stocks, and, to prepare her for the lake in the early part 
of June, these stores, as well as those which had been 
removed to Oswego falls, were indispensably necessary. 
To transport them by land would be attended with diffi- 
culties and delays, which recent experience had taught 
the American commanders to avoid, and commodore 
Chauncey, finding now an unobstructed passage to the 
lake, directed captain Woolsey to convey them in a flo- 
tilla of barges (in which he could ascend the small creeks, 
if pursued by the enemy) to their point of destination. 
To give security to the passage of the barges, brigadier 

Z 



tl<^i HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

general Gaines, who commanded the land forces at the 
Harbour, despatched major Appling, of the rifle regiment 
with 120 officers and men, to co-operate with captain' 
Woolsey, in escorting the flotilla. The barges, 19 in 
number, were then at the falls of Oswego, and previous- 
ly to their movement to the lake, captiiin Woolsey had 
caused a report to be circulated that the naval stores 
were to be forwarded to the Oneida lake. The watch- 
ful enemy had several gun-boats at that time hovering 
about tne numerous creeks, which discharge themselves 
into the lake Ontario, and examining every cove by the 
aid of which, small barges might elude their vigilance. 
On the 28th of May, captain Woolsey, having previously 
reconnoitred the mouth of the Oswego'creek, and find- 
mg a clear coast, brought his flotilla over the rapids, and 
reached the village of Oswego at sunset. Availing him- 
seltof the darkness of the night, he put into the lake, 
with major Appling and his men, distributed in the seve- 
ral batteaux. A small party of Oneida Indians were des- 
patched to Big Salmon river to meet the flotilla there 
and to proceed along the shore to Sandy creek, in which 
captain Woolsey's orders obliged him ^o make a harbour. 
At tlie dawn of the 29th, after having rowed 12 hours 
m extreme darkness, and under a heavy Ml of rain the 
barges arrived at Big Salmon, and were met by the' In- 
dians commanded by lieutenant Hill, of the rifle corps. 
Uie flotilla t.ien. proceeded on its passage, and arrived 
in the coiirse of the day, at a point 2 miles up Sandy 
creek. 1 hence a look-out boat, under lieutenant Pearce 
was despatched on the 30th, to reconnoitre between its 
mouth and Stony Point. This boat was discovered by 3 
gun-boats, 3 cutters, and a gig, under captain Popham, 
and chased into the creek. No doubt being entertained 
tliac the enemy would pursue lieutenant Pearce up the 
creek, dispositions were immediately made by major Ap- 
pling, and captain Woolsey to draw him into an ambus- 
cade. He very soon appeared, and at 8 o'clock, A. M 
commenced a cannonade at long shot. At 10, he land- 
ed a party, and pushed his gun-boats and cutters up the 
creek, occasionally firing into the woods as he ascended 
Major Appling, who had posted his men in a judicious 
manner along the bank, below the point at which the 
American barges were moored— then suddenly rose from 



OF THE LATE WAR. 26T 

his concealment, poured upon the enemy a rapid and de- 
structive fire, and in 10 minutes, killed 1 midshipman 
and 13 sailors and marines,* wounded 2 lieutenants and 
28 sailors and marines, and took prisoners the remainder 
of the party, consisting of two post captains, and 4 lieute- 
nants of the navy, 2 lieutenants of marines, and 133 men. 
The whole party amounted to 185. The gun-boats and 
cutters, necessarily fell into the hands of the Americans, 
who lost but 1 man slightly wounded. 

A squadron of dragoons, under captain Harris, and a 
company of light artillery, under captain Melvin, with 2 
field pieces, arrived in the neighbourhood at the com- 
mencement of the action, but did not participate in it. 
Major Appling was soon after breveted a lieutenant colo- 
nel, and his officers, lieutenants M*Intosh, Calhoun, 
Macfarland, Armstrong, and Smith, and ensign Austin, 
were publicly thanked by the commanding general offi- 
cer at Sacket's Harbour. Captain Woolsey, and his of- 
ficers, lieutenant Pearce, sailing master Vaughan, and 
midsliipmen Mackey, Hart, and Caton, who had been or- 
dered to Oswego to superintend the transportation of the 
cannon and stores, acquitted themselves in a masterly and 
courageous manner. 

The cannon were soon after transported to the Har- 
bour, and the new frigate Mohawk was launched on the 
11th of June, and very speedily armed and equipped to 
join the squadron, which then consisted of 9 vessels, car- 
rying in all about 251 guns. 

The result of this affair was sensibly felt throughout 
the British fleet; it deprived them of a number of ex- 
perienced seamen ; and several valuable and intrepid offi- 
cers, and they were compelled to remain in Kingston 
harbour until their places were supplied, and the squadron 
enlarged by an immense new ship then building there, 
and intended to carry 112 guns. Commodore Chauncey 
sailed round the lake in the course of the month, and fre- 
quently stationed himself before Kingston, to draw out 
the enemy's squadron. 

Until their new ship was completed, they determined, 
however, to remain in port, and in that interval, no hostile 
event took place upon lake Ontario. — Nor, indeed, was 
any wa»like attitude assumed in its neighbouring lake 
Faie, or the lake Champlain, before the commencement 



i>68 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

of the summer. From the borders of the latter, lietite^ 
nant colonel Forsythe, of the rifle corps, on the 28th of 
June, made an incursion into Canada as far as Odelltown, 
where an affair took place with a detachment of the ene- 
my, from the post of La Colle. The colonel made an at- 
tack, retreated, and attempted to draw the enemy into 
an ambuscade; but in his zeal, discovered himself and 
his party too soon, and an engagement took place before 
the British were ensnared. 17 of their number were kill- 
ed; among them the celebrated partizan commander, 
captain Mahue, who was shot by lieutenant Riley. Co- 
lonel Forsythe, who had heretofore been a terror to the 
enemy, was wounded in the neck, of which wound he 
died a few days after, and was buried with military ho- 
nours at Champlain. The command of this corps was 
then transferred to lieutenant colonel Appling. 

From Erie, colonel Campbell, of the 19th regiment^ 
crossed over the lake with 500 men to Long Point, where 
he landed, and proceeding to the village of Dover, de- 
stroyed the flour mills, distilleries, and all the houses oc- 
cupied by the soldiers, as well as many others belonging 
to the peaceable inhabitants of the village. A squadron 
of British dragoons, stationed at that place, fled at the 
approach of colonel Campbell's detachment, and aban- 
doned the women and children, who experienced humane 
treatment from the Americans. Colonel Campbell un- 
dertook this expedition without orders, and, as his con- 
duct was generally reprobated, a court of inquiry was in- 
stituted, to examine into his proceedings, of which gene- 
ral Scott was president. This court declared, that the 
destruction of the mills and distilleries was according to 
the usages of war, but that in burning the houses of the 
inhabitants, colonel Campbell had greatly erred. This 
error they attributed to the recollection of the scenes of 
the Raisin and the Miami, in the western territories, to 
the army of which, colonel Campbell was at that time at- 
tached, and of the recent devastation of the Niagara 
frontier. 

During these events of the winter and spring of 1814, 
the British had collected in the neighbourhood of the ri- 
ver Thames, and at the Delaware town, situated upon 
that river, a very respectable force of regulars, militia, 
and Indians ; and several expeditions were planned and 



OF THE LATE AVAR. 269 

set on foot against them by colonel Anthony Butler, who 
eommanded the American forces in the Michigan terri- 
tory. In the month of February, captain Lee, who had 
been formerly a cornet in the Michigan dragoons, was 
sent into the vicinity of the enemy, with about 14 mount- 
ed men. Many miles in the rear of the British forces, 
he made prisoners of several officers, and among them, 
the famous colonel Baubee, who commanded a party of 
Indians, and assisted in the depredations committed on 
the New York frontier. Captain Lee contrived, by his 
judicious management, to bring them over to Detroit, 
without detection. 

Upon their arrival there, colonel Butler projected an 
enterprise, under captain A. H. Holmes, of the 24th regi- 
ment, to whom he assigned the command of 160 rangers 
and mounted infantry, and despatched him, on the 21st 
of February, against several of the enemy's posts. On 
the 3d of March, at the distance of fifteen miles from De- 
laware, captain Holmes received intelligence that the ene- 
my, whose force consisted of a company of 100 men, of 
the Royal Scots, under captain Johnson, 45 of the 89th 
regiment, under captain Caldwell, 50 of M*Gregor's mi- 
litia, and the same number of Indians, being in all 246 
men, had left the village with an intention of descending 
the river. Captain Holmes' party had already suftered, 
and been reduced by hunger and fatigue, and 16 of his 
men, who were unable to march further, sent back to De- 
troit; with the remainder, he did not deem it prudent to 
give battle to the enemy, without the advantage of the 
ground, and, therefore, fell back, five miles, to a position 
on Twenty Mile Creek, leaving captain Gill, with a rear 
guard of 20 rangers, to follow. 

This guard was overtaken by the enemy, and after ex- 
changing a few shots, effected a retreat to the position 
which captain Holmes then occupied. At Twenty Mile 
Creek, there was a deep and wide ravine, bounded, on 
each side, by a lofty height. On the western height, cap- 
tain Holmes had established an encampment, in the form 
of a hollow square, the detachment from Detroit being 
on the north front of the square, the rangers on the west, 
and the militia on the south, and all protected by logs, 
hastily thix)wn together. The reg-ulars of the 24th and 
28th regiments, were stationed on the brow of the height, 

Z 2 



270 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

uncovered. In this situation, the Americans awaited the 
attack, and captain Holmes, by the skilful and judicious 
manner in which he posted himself, compelled his supe- 
rior enemy to commence it. 

Early on the morning of the 4th, the British appearing 
in fe\^ numbers, on the eastern height, immediately oppo- 
site to the American camp, gave a loose fire and retired. 
Some time having elapsed, without their reappearance, 
captain Holmes despatched lieutenant Knox of the rangers, 
to reconnoitre them, who performed that duty with ala- 
crity, and returned with an account, that tlie enemy, whose 
number he judged to be not more than 70, had retreated, 
with such precipitation, as to leave his baggage scattered 
on the road. This retreat was made for the purpose? of 
drawing the Americans from the height, on which the Bri- 
tish officer saw they were so advantageously posted. The 
attempt was attended by a partial success, for tlie Ame- 
rican commander, not being well assured of the strength 
of his adversary, descended from the camp, and followed 
him in his retreat. Captain Lee, who commanded the ad- 
vance in this march, which continued five miles, was for- 
tunate enough to discover the enemy in full force, pre- 
paring for a resolute attack. The policy, which had in- 
duced the British officer to draw the American from his 
strong ground, judging of it by its result, was founded in 
extreme weakness. Having succeeded in seducing him 
to a- distance of five miles, he supposed that captain 
Holmes, with an inferior detachment, almost worn out 
with the hardships of a fourteen days' march, and the se- 
verity of the weather, would pause and give battle to a 
body of fresh troops superior in numbers and in disci- ' 
pline. He therefore never attempted to improve the ad- 
vantage he had gained, by detaching a strong party to 
cross the ravine, above the road on which the Americans 
had marched, and to occupy the position which they just 
abandoned. By this act he would have cut off all com- 
munication in the rear, and compelled captain Holmes to 
disperse his party in the wilderness, or to yield at discre- 
tion. In either of these cases, the American detachment 
would have been destroyed. 

Captain Holmes fearing, however, that the enemy had 
attempted thus to cut him oft* immediately retreated to 
the heights, re-established himself in the encampment. 



OF THE LATE WAR. 271 

and a second time compelled the British regulars and In- 
dians to attack him on his own ground. 
' The rangers and many of the infantry, not knowing the 
wisdom nor the necessity of the measure, exhibited great 
marks of discontent at the retreat, and many of them re- 
fused to fight the enemy. But, on his re-appearance upon 
the opposite height, one impulse animated the whole de- 
tachment, which resolved on repulsing the assailants. — 
The British commander then made a disposition to dis- 
lodge them, and throwing his militia and Indians across 
the ravine, above the road, he ordered tliem to commence 
the attack upon the north, south, and west sides of the 
encampment, whilst he charged down the road from the 
opposite height, crossed the bridge, and rushed furiously 
up the height occupied by the Americans, on their east, 
or exposed side, with an intention of charging the regu- 
lars. This he did, under a galling fire, which did not 
check his advances, until within twenty paces of his ob- 
ject. There his front section being shot to pieces, and 
many of those who followed being wounded ; his princi- 
pal officers cut down, and the fire of the Americans in- 
creasing in vivacity; he abandoned the assault altogether, 
and took shelter in the neighbouring wood, at distances 
of 15, 20, and 30 paces. Having arrayed his forces, he 
commenced a rapid fire from his cover, which was warm- 
ly returned, and increased on both sides. From those 
parts of the encampment, protected by the logs, the ran- 
gers and militia fired with great coolness and precision. 
The regulars, on the uncovered side, were directed to 
kneel, that they might be partially concealed by the brow 
of the heigiit, and, by these means, were enabled to fire 
with more deliberation than their assailants. 

After one hour's conflict, the British gave up* all hopes 
of dislodging the detachment, and at twilight commenced 
their retreat. Captain Holmes did not pursue them, be- 
cause they were still superior ih numbers, and might 
draw him at night into an ambuscade, in a country much 
better known to them than to him; and, because lie had 
already gained a sufficient triumph in repulsing, and de- 
feating the object of an experienced foe. The American 
loss amounted to six men killed and wounded. By their 
own official report, the enemy lost captain Johnson, lieu- 
tenant Grame, and 12 men killed, and captain Besded 



^72 HISTORICAL SKETCHES ' 

(Barden,) lieutenant M'Donald, and 49 men wounded, 
making a total of 67. The whole American force in ac- 
tion was 150 rank and file, many of whom fought and 
marched in their stocking feet, and though the weather is 
extremely cold in that climate, in the month of February, 
they were not permitted, nor did they express a wish to 
take a shoe, even from the dead. Captain Holmes, soon 
after, returned with his detachment to the Michigan terri- 
tory, and received the thanks of the commandant, and 
the brevet rank of major from his government. He spoke 
of all his officers in very flattering terms, but particularly 
of lieutenants Kouns and Henry, and ensign Heard of the 
28th, and lieutenants Jackson and Potter of the 24th, be- 
cause their good fortune placed them in opposition to the 
main strength of the enemy. 

After this event, detachments were frequently sent out 
to reconnoitre the enemy's country, but for several weeks 
returned without being able to encounter any of his troops. 
Those on the American side of Detroit river, remained, 
therefore, in a state of perfect security; and the comman- 
ders of the land and naval forces, employed the time in 
projecting various plans, by which to establish fortifica- 
tions on the lake St. Clair ; to cut off the communications 
between Michilimackinac and the Indians ; and to secure 
the inhabitants of the territory from their incursions. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

dssemblage of the left division of the army at Black Rock 
and Buff aloe — Capture of Fort Erie--— Jlmer leans en- 
camp at Street's Creek — Skirmish with the enemy's 
rear guard — Jiffairs of picquets — Battle of Chippewa 
> — British retreat to "Ten Mile Creek — American army 
encamps at ((ueenstown — Death of general Swift-^ 
Movement upon Fort George — General Brown retires 
to Chippewa Creek — Battle of \N*iagara. 

* 

To retrieve the disastrous consequences of the last 
northern campaign ; to regain the possession of the posts 
in Canada, which had been obtained by conquest, and 



OF THE LATE WAR. 27 S 

lost by the inefficacy of the means provided to retain 
them; to drive the enemy from the occupancy of the 
American garrison at the mouth of the Niagara ; and to 
command the frontiers on both sides of that stream ; va- 
rious plans had been projected, numerous dispositions 
made, and measures were finally adopted for their achieve- 
ment. To this end, general Brown, now elevated to the 
rank of major general, was ordered to assemble, and or- 
ganize, a division of the army, at, and in the neighbour- 
hood of Black Rock and Buftaloe. This division consist- 
ed of two brigades of regulars, the first commanded by 
brigadier general Scott, formerly of the 2d artillery, and 
the second by brigadier general Ripley, formerly of the 
21st infantry. To these were added a brigade of New 
York volunteers, and a few Indians, under brigadiers 
general Porter and Swift. During the months of Aprils 
Slay, and June (1814), the concentration of this force was 
effected, and the principal part of that time employed in 
its discipline. 

The first step towards the accomplishment of the ob- 
jects of the present campaign, was the assault and capture 
of fort Erie, at that time in command of major Buck, and 
garrisoned by 170 officers and men of tlie 8th and 100th 
regiments On the morning of the 3d of July, therefwe, 
in obedience to general Brown*s orders, the two brigades 
of regulars embarked for that purpose. General Scott, 
with the first, and a detachment of artillery, under major 
Hindman, crossed to the Canada shore, about one mile 
below fort Erie, and general Ripley, with the second,, 
about the same distance above. The landing of the se- 
cond brigade was attended with much difficulty, in con- 
sequence of the impossibility of approaching the shore, 
with the gun boats, in which it had embarked. The de- 
barkation was, therefore, effected in two small boats, 
capable of containing at one time, not more than 50 men. 
The first brigade was on the shore before a gun was fired 
by the enemy, who had a picquet stationed near the place 
of landing. From these two points, on the right and left, 
the fort was rapidly approached by the regulars, whilst a 
partv of Indians, who had been crossed over skirted the 
wood in its rear. The garrison, entirely unapprised ot 
these movements, was completely surrounded, and gene- 
ral Brown demanded the quiet surrender of the post. 



£74 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

A few guns only were fired, which wounded four men ol 
the 25tn regiment, under major Jessup, of the first bri- 
gade, when major Buck surrendered the fort to the in- 
vading army. Immediate possession was taken of the 
garrison, and the prisoners were marched to the interior 
of New York. The passage of the troops across the 
channel, and the conveyance of the prisoners to the Ame- 
rican shore, was superintended by lieutenant commandant 
Kennedy, of the navy. 

Major general Riall, with a division of the Britisli aniiy, 
constituted of the best disciplined, and more experienced 
European regulars, was at this time intrenched at Chip- 
pewa, and thither it was determined the Americans should 
proceed, to attack and rout him. Arrangements were, 
therefore, made for the security of the fort, and the pro- 
tection of the American rear, by the establishment of a 
small garrison, under lieutenant M'Donough, of the artil- 
lery, and the disposition of the marine force, near, and in 
front of the fort. 

On the morning of the 4th, general Scott received or- 
ders to advance with his brigade and Towson's company 
of artillery, upon Chippewa. In the course of the same 
day, he was followed by general Ripley, and the field and 
park artillery, under major Hindman, and by general 
Porter and his volunteers. On the right bank of Street's 
creek, two miles distant from the British works, the army 
was drawn up in three lines, the first brigade facing 
Street's creek and the bridge — the second brigade, form- 
ing the second line, and the volunteers the third. The 
park of artillery was stationed on the right of the encamp- 
ment, between the first and second line, and the light 
troops were posted, within the same space, on the left. 

In its approaches from fort Erie, along the Niagara, 
to this position, the first brigade encountered the advanced 
corps of the enemy, strongly posted behind this creek. 
General Scott immediately ordered captain Towson to go 
forward with his artillery and dislodge them. Th.at gal- 
lant officer, in a few minutes, compelled them to fall back, 
though not until they had intrepidly destroyed the bridge, 
over which the advancing column would be obliged to 
pass. 

About the time at which captain Towson opened his 
battery upon the enemy, captain Crooker of the 9th 



OF THE LATE AVAli. 275 

iiiianiry, had been directed to flank out to the left of 
the brigade, to cross the stream above the bridge, and 
to assail the right of the enemy's guard. This movement 
was made with so much celerity, that captain Crooker 
reached the enemy's position, and was in full pursuit of 
him, when the brigade column arrived at the bridge. Af- 
ter retreating a short distance, the British commander 
being aware of the impossibility of captain Crooker re- 
ceiving a reinforcement, of sufficient strength to combat 
tlie impetuosity of well appointed cavalry, until the bridge 
should be replaced, ordered his dragoons to turn upon, 
and cut up the detachment. Under the eye of the gene- 
ral commanding the brigade, and before the pioneers had 
rendered the bridge passable, captain Crooker was sur- 
^ rounded and charged upon by a numerous troop of the 
British 19th. This brave detachment, determined to cut 
through this superior force, fought their way to a house 
not far from the place of attack, and having gained it, 
turned, at the order of their commander, upon the pur- 
suing horsemen, and having first struck terror into tiieir 
ranks, put them to a flight, precipitate as their attack 
had been impetuous. At this moment, captain Crooker, 
whose men might well be exhausted after so vigorous an 
engagement, was relieved from all apprehension of an- 
other assault from a fresh body of troops, by the arrival of 
captains Hull and Harrison, and lieutenant Randolph, 
with a small party of men who had been hastily thrown 
across the stream to his support. " In partizan war," the 
general of brig;ade observed, " he had witnessed nothing 
more gallant than the conduct (jf captain Crooker and his 
company." 

At 1 1 o'clock in the evening of that day, the encamp- 
ment was formed in the manner already described; and 
early on the morning of the 5tb, the enemy commenced 
an attack in various detached parties upon the pic([uet 
guards surrounding it. One of these was commanded by 
captain Treat, of the 21st infantry, and on its return to 
the camp, through a meadow of high grass, was assailed 
by a brisk discharge of musketry. One man fell, se- 
verely wounded, and the rear of the guard broke and re- 
treated. Captain Treat's attempts to prevent the flight of 
the left of his detachment, were mistaken for an intention 
to avoid the enemy ; and though he was ordered to a 



276 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

neighbouring wood, his guard beino- first collected in pur- 
suit of the party that had attacked liim, he was immedi- 
ately after stripped of his command upon tlie ground of 
cowardice, in retreating before the enemy, and of miscon- 
duct, in abandoning the wounded man to their mercy. 
This man had, however, been brought in by captain 
Treat's orders, previously to his march in quest of the 
enemy's party. Being resolved on a participation in some 
way or other in the approaching battle, the captain en- 
tered as a volunteer, in the same company which he had 
just before commanded ; and the senior officer of the 21st 
regiment directed him to lead a platoon into action. — 
This act was considered as a manifestation of his courage 
and patriotism, and the court martial before which he was 
tried, dismissed him with an honourable acquittal. 

The vivacity of these assaults upon the picquets gra- 
dually diminished until mid-day, after which they were 
revived with unabating vigour. General Riall, well ac- 
quainted with the position of the American forces, and 
aware of their intention to attack him, determined upon 
issuing from his intrenchments, and by striking the first 
blow to intimidate, and probably throw into disorder the 
whole line of the invading army. With this view, he cross- 
ed the Chippewa with every species of his force, threw 
his right flank, his Indians, and a large detachment of his 
light troops, into the wood, on the left of the American 
encampment, and approached, gradually, with his main i 
body upon the left bank of Street's creek. The move- 
ment in the wood was discovered early enough to frus- 
trate the designs of the J^ritish commander, and general 
Brown ordered general Porter to advance, with tlie vo- -j 
lunteers and Indians, from the rear of the camp; to con- 
ceal himself from the enemy*s view, by entering the 
wood; to drive back his light troops and Indians; and, if 
possible, to gain the rear of his scouting parties, and place 
them between his line, and the division of regulars. . As 
general Porter moved from the encampment, the Ameri- 
can outposts and advanced parties fell back, under the fire 
of the enemy, in order to draw him upon the centre of 
the front line. 

General Porter met, attacked, and, after a short bur 
severe contest, drove the enemy's right before him. His| 
route to Chippewa was intercepted by the whol« British 



OF THE LATE WAlt. 277 

column, arrayed in order of battle, and against this pow- 
erful force, the volunteers desperately maintained thpr 
ground, until they were overpowered by the superiority 
of discipline and numbers. 

As soon as the firing became regular and heavy be- 
tween the volunteers and the enemy, general Brown 
rightly conjecturing that all the British regulars were 
eiigao-ed, immediately ordered general Scott's brigade, 
and Towson's artillery, to advance and draw them into 
action on the plains of Chippewa. General Scott had no 
sooner crossed the bridge over Street's creek, than he en- 
countered and gave battle to the enemy. Captain 1 ow- 
son commenced his fire before the infantry battalions 
were in battle array, and, upon their bemg formed took 
post on the river, with 3 pieces, in front of the extreme 
riolit, and thence played upon the British batteries. 

The 9th regiment and part of the 22d, forming the 1st 
battalion under major Leavenworth, took position on the 
right; the 2d battalion (11th regiment) was led to its sta- 
tion by colonel Campbell, who, beeing soon wounded, 
was succeeded in the command of that regiment by ma- 
jor McNeill. The 3d battalion (25th regiment) was torm- 
ed by major Jessup, on the left, resting in a wood- 
From this position, that officer was ordered to turn the 
enemy's right wing, then steadily advancing upon the 
American line. Whilst this order was m execution, and 
Jessup's battalion engaged in an animated contest, wit i 
the British infantry, helletached captain Ketchum with 
his company, to attack a supenor detachment, at that 

moment coming up to the ''^^^f^^^^^^J.^.^l^^S 
ao-ainst which, the 25th was engaged. Captain Ketciium 
flinked rrencountered the fresh detachment, and sus- 
Sned a v gorous and desperate engagement until the 
battalion cle^ared its own front, and marched to the sup^ 

^t'his trZan^nsummation of his plan the major 
did not effect without a violent struggle. Ihe iiritish 
gave him an animated and destructive fire; his men were 
Ifuinl around him in numbers too great to leave him any 
hopes'of victory; and he became, at length closely 
p'Fss.d, both i/ flank and front. His regiment never- 
theless, betrayed not the least disposition to falter and 
promptly obeyed his order to ^^ support arms and ad~ 



278 HISfOllICAL SKETCHES 

vance" under tViis tremendous fire, until a position ot 
more security was gained. From this, he returned the 
enemy's fire, with such order and rapidity, that the Bri- 
tish rio-ht flank fell back, and the battalion was enabled to 
come up in time to co-operate with captain Ketchum's 
detachment. 

The whole line of» the enemy began about this time to 
recoil. On the American right, the battalion of major 
Leavenworth, was not only engaged with the British in- 
fantry, but frequently exposed to the fire of the batteries. 
One of his oificers, captain Harrison, had his leg carried 
off" by a cannon ball, but so doubtful, at that moment, 
did he consider the issue of the battle, that he would not 
suffer a man to be taken from his duty, to bear him from 
the field, and supported the torture of his wound with ex- 
treme fortitude, until the action ceased. 

Major M'NelU's battalion was also engaged, from the 
commencement until the close of the action, and, toge- 
ther with major Leavenworth's, received the enemy on 
the open plain ; of these, the 9th and 22d, were parallel 
to the attack, but the 11th, had its left thrown forward, 
so as to assail in front and flank, at the same time. Thus 
posted, majors Leavenworth and M'Neill resisted the 
attacks of the enemy, with great gallantry and zeal. On 
this end of the line, the fire was quite as incessant as on 
the left, and its effect not less destructive; but the 
troops displayed an equal degree of animation. 

After the lapse of an hour, from the commencement 
of the battle, captain Towson, who had maintained his 
position on the river, notv/ithstanding one of his pieces 
had been thrown out of action, having completely si- 
lenced the enemy's most powerful battery, turned his re- 
maining pieces on the infantry, at that moment advancing 
to a charge. This accumulation of fire; the effective dis- 
charges of M'Neill's musketry, peculiarly destructive 
from the oblique position; the steadiness of the two batta- 
lions; and the apparent issue of the engagement between 
Jessup's and the British right wing, compelled gen. Riall 
to retire, until he reached a sloping ground, descending to 
Chippewa. From the point formed by this ground, his 
troops fled, in confusion to their intrenchments, behind 
the creek, and having regained their works, retarded the 
approaches of the conquerors by means of their heavy 



OF THE LATE WAR. 279 

batteries, on which alone, they relied for safety, in the 
event of their being obliged to retire. 

About the time they commenced their charge, major 
Hind man had ordered forward captain Ritchie's company 
of artillery, and one piece, a 12-pounder, under lieuten- 
ant Hall. They arrived, in time only to participate in the 
close of the action, but joined captain Towson, in pursu- 
ing the enemy, under the fire of his batteries, until he 
threw himself into the intrenchments. 

Whilst the first brigade was thus gallantly engaged 
with this superior force, in which were included the 100th 
regiment, under lieutenant colonel the marquis of Twee- 
dale, and the Royal Scots, under lieutenant colonel Gor- 
don, general Riple}^ whose brigade was already formed 
in line of battle, proposed to the commanding general, to 
pass the left of the first brigade ; to turn the enemy's 
right; and by taking a position in his rear, prevent his 
retreat to the Chippewa. But, as the volunteers were at 
that moment falling back from the wood, on the left of 
the field, general Brown was of opinion that an attack 
would be made in that quarter, and deemed the presence 
of general Ripley's brigade, necessary to receive and re- 
pel it. At the moment of their retreat, however, he de- 
termined to follow up the victory, by advancing against 
their works with all his ordnance, and directed general 
Ripley to adopt the proposition he had made. But such 
was the precipitation of the retreat, that this movement 
became unavailing, and on the report of two reconnoi- 
tring officers, major Wood of the engineers, and captain 
Austin, an aid to the general, as to the situation and se- 
curity of the enemy's works, general Brow^n was induced 
to order all his troops back to their encampment. 

This sanguinary battle, resulted, as may well be sup- 
posed, in an immense loss on both sides. That of the 
Americans, in killed, wounded, and missing, amounted 
to 328 ; sixty of whom were killed. Among the wound- 
ed, were colonel Campbell; captains King, of the 22d, 
Read, of the 25th, and Harrison, of the 42d, but doing 
duty with the 9th, lieutenants Palmer and Brimhall, of 
the' 9th, Barron, of the 11th, and De Witt and Patchim, 
of the 25th. The loss of the British, in killed, wounded, 
and prisoners, was, according to general Brown's report, 
308; but, by lieutenant general Drummond's returns, 



280 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

there were 139 killed, 320 wounded, and 46 missing, 
making a total of 505 ; so that the number of the wound- 
ed British, was nearly equal to the aggregate loss of the 
Americans. Among these were the marquis of Twee- 
dale, lieutenant colonel Gordon, lieutenant colonel Dick- 
son, captain Holland, aid de camp to general Riall, 7 
«aptains, 1 7 lieutenants, and 4 other subalterns. 

The liveliest testimonies of the applause of the people, 
and the honourable approbation of the government, were 
given to generals Scott and Porter. The brevet rank of 
lieutenant colonel, was conferred upon majors Jessup, 
Leavenworth, and M'Neill ; and of major, upon captains 
Towson, Crooker, and Harrison. But there were other 
gallant and distinguished officers, who shared in the 
perils, and the fortunes, of that day. Among the most 
conspicuous of these, were lieutenants Worth and Watts, 
aids to general Scott; lieutenant Smith, his major of bri- 
gade; major Wood of the engineers, who superintended 
the construction of the works at fort Meigs, during the 
memorable siege of that garrison ; captain Harris, of the 
dragoons; and lieutenant M'Donald, of the second bri- 
gade, who penetrated a wood and annoyed the enemy's 
Indians. 

Intelligence having been communicated to lieutenant 
general Drummond, of the defeat of major general Riall, 
that officer, was immediately reinforced at Chippewa, by 
the 8th or King's rej^iment from York; on the arrival of 
which, he disposed his troops in such order as to repulse 
an assault from the Americans. General Brown, mean- 
while, remained at his encampment at Street's creek, and 
on the 8th of the month, determined upon an attempt to 
dislodge general Riall. General Ripley, was for this 
purpose, ordered to proceed with his brigade, to a point 
three miles above the British works, on the Chippewa, 
to open a road of communication between Street's creek 
and that point; and, to construct a bridge over the Chip- 
pewa, for the passage of the troops. This order was 
executed with great secrecy; and without loss of time, 
and the artillery was brought up in the course of the day, 
to cover the pioneers, whilst constructing the bridge. — 
The enemy had no knowledge of this movement, until 
the brigade arrived at the creek, and the artillery was 
already planted near its margin. General Riall was then 



OF THE LATE WAK. 281 

mformed, by his out-post, of these operations, and hastily 
forwarded a detachment of the royal artillery, to check 
them. A cannonade ensued; but such was the eftect 
produced by general Ripley's artillery, that the British 
pieces were withdrawn ; tlie bridge was soon after com- 
pleted, and general Riall, apprehending an attack on his 
right flank and in front, from the formidable arrangements 
which he saw in preparation, abandoned his line of de- 
fences, and retreated by the road to Queenstown, Gene- 
ral Brown occupied the enemy's works that evening, and 
on the following morning (the 9th), pursued the route to 
Queenstown. Riall had, however, retired to the Ten Mile 
Creek. 

At Queenstown the American army was then encamp- 
f!tl, and the commanding general held a council of war, 
for the purpose of maturing a plan of future and decisive 
operations. On the 12th, brigadier general John Swift, 
second in command to general Porter, and the same who 
had put the British marines to flight at Poultneyville^ 
having offered to reconnoitre the enemy's position at fort 
George, was detached with 120 volunteers, to obtain a 
view of those works. On his arrival within its neighbour- 
hood, he surprised and captured an out-post, consisting of 
a corporal and five men; one of these, after having sur- 
rendered to the detachment and requested quarters, avail- 
ed himself of an advantageous moment, treacherously fired 
at, and shot the general, who, notwithstanding the sud- 
denness of the attack, and the severity of his wound, in- 
stantly levelled his piece, and killed the assassin. The 
alarm produced by this fire, brought up a British patroll- 
ing party, of 60 men, against whom general Swift, regard- 
less of the persuasions of his officers, to attend to his 
wound, marched at the head of his detachment, and com- 
menced an attack, which resulted in the retreat of the 
enemy's part;j. The general, however, whose wound was 
mortal, fell, exhausted by the loss of blood, before the 
termination of the skirmish. His next officer, beat the 
patrolling party into the fort, and returned to the en- 
campment at Queenstown, with the body of his expiring 
commander. General Swift, whose loss was sincerely 
deplored by the whole army, and who had served with 
distinguished reputation during the war of the revolution, 
was interred with the usual ceremonies, and honours of 

Aa2 



282 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

a soldier. The whole volunteer brigade, to which the ge- 
neral was attached, solicited an opportunity to avenge the 
fall of their brave officer ; and an opportunity was not 
long wanted. 

At the consultation, which was held by general Brown, 
and his principal officers, a plan of attack upon fort 
George, was proposed ; and, to the prejudice of a proposi- 
tion, submitted by general Ripley, of following up gene- 
ral Riall; of driving him from the peninsula; or of striking 
as severe a blow, as that which he had received at Chip- 
pewa, and thus totally to annihilate his force; was adopt- 
ed by a majority of the council. In order to ascertain the 
possibility of capturing that fort, by a coup de main, the 
second brigade, and the volunteers, were directed to r^ 
counoitre it, in the most secret manner. Whilst general 
Ripley approached along the Niagara, general Porter, to 
whose brigade was attached two field pieces, under cap- 
tain Ritchie, of the regular artillery, advanced by the way 
of St. David'i and the Cfoss Roads, to lake Ontario, 
whence he could obtain a full view of fort Niagara, and 
enable the principal engineer, major Wood, to examine 
the works on that side of fort George. After viewing the 
northern face of fort Niagara, general Porter moved in, 
upon fort George, drove in all the enemy's picquets, and 
formed his brigade in the open plain, w ithin a mile of the 
fort. To enable the engineer to examine the works with 
more certainty, he ordered lieutenant colonel Wilcocks 
to advance with his command, under cover of a small 
wood, within musket shot of the garrison. These positions 
were maintained upwards of an hour and a half, during 
which time the British batteries opened upon the troops 
on the plain. Several detached parties, 3ent out to attack 
the volunteer light troops, were successively repulsed, and 
the object of the expedition being accomplished, general 
Porter moved round the south side of the fort, and joined 
general Ripley's brigade on the Niagara. As he retired, 
the enemy sent out several pieces of field artillery, and 
commenced a rapid fire upon his rear. The brigade, how- 
ever, moved off, in good order, with two men wounded ; 
and lieutenant Fontaine, of the artillery, and an officer of 
the volunteers, had their horses killed under them, by a 
cannon ball. In his approaches to the lake, general Porter 
deemed it necessary to station videttes upon the several 



OF THE LATE WAR. 283 

roads leading to the fort. Five of these were captured 
by a party of 20 Canadian militia, residing in the neigh- 
bourhood, and some of whom had been in the American 
encampment, professing to avail themselves of the terms 
of general Brown's proclamation, issued upon entering 
Canada, " that all persons demeaning themselves peacea- 
" bly, and pursuing their private business, should be treat- 
*^ ed as friends." 

To give more certainty and effect to the assault of forts 
George and Niagara, and to the occupation of Queens- 
town, St. David's, and Newark, general Brown, previous- 
ly to his passage of the Niagara strait, had adopted mea- 
sures, in conjunction with commodore Chauncey, for the 
co-operation of the American squadron. On the 20th of 
July, he, therefore, moved with his whole force upon fort 
George, and took a position, with a portion of his troops, 
on lake Ontario, as well with a view to attempt that gar- 
rison, as to obtain some intelligence of the fleet. Commo- 
dore's Chauncey's extreme illness, prevented the sailing 
of the fleet from the harbour, and general Brown, appre- 
hensive of an attack upon the rear of his army, and of 
his communication with the encampment being cut off, 
by the militia then raising en masse, fell back to Queens- 
town, on "the 22d, to protect his baggage. Having there 
received intelligence of the detention of the fleet, he de- 
termined to disencumber the army of its heavy baggage, 
and to march against Burlington Heights, on the penm- 
sula, between wnich and Erie the enemy had in the mean 
time, concentrated his principal forces. To draw from 
Schlosser, a supply of provisions, necesssry to this expe- 
dition, he retired on the 24th, to the junction of the Chip- 
pewa and Niagara: with the exception of the 9th regi- 
ment, the army encamped on the right bank of the Chip- 
pewa. That regiment was posted on the north side of the 
stream, in and near a block house, in the advance. 

Lieutenant general Drummond, anxious to redeem the 
tarnished reputation of the British arms, and having now 
augmented his force, so as to feel capable of offering bat- 
tle, without any doubt of its successful result, forwarded 
a division, under general Riall, to Queenstown, who oc- 
cupied the heights there, immediately after their aban- 
donment by the Americans. From Queenstown, general 
Riall threw a large detachment of his troops, across the 



284 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

Niagara, to Lewistown, with a view to the capture of the 
American sick and wounded, at that time in the hospital 
at Schlosser, and the destruction of the baggage, ammu- 
nition, and provisions, deposited at that place. By ex- 
presses from colonel Swift, commanding at Lewistown, 
general Brown was informed of this movement, and al- 
most at the same moment, a picquet, stationed beyond 
the 9th regiment, reported an advanced party of the ene- 
my on the Niagara road. To draw him from his purposed 
pillage of Schlosser, general Brown, having no immediate 
means of bringing oft' his sick and stores, nor of transport- 
ing troops to their defence, ordered general Scott to 
move, with his brigade, then consisting of about 700 men, 
and Towson's artillery, still attached to it, in the direc- 
tion of Queenstown. 

At 4 o'clock in the afternoon of the 25th (July), the 
first brigade moved from the encampment in light march- 
ing order, the 9th regiment being in front of the column, 
and captain Harris, with a troop of regular and volunteer 
dragoons, and a company of infantry, under captain Pent- 
land, of the 22d, constituting an advanced corps. About 
two miles and a half from the Chippewa, and within a 
short distance of the falls of Niagara, the American and 
British advanced parties came within view of each other, 
and general Scott halted his column, to reconnoitre the 
ground, and make arrangements for the reception, or at- 
tack, of the enemy. Lieutenant colonel Leavenworth, 
with the 9th, consisting then of only 150 men, was imme- 
diately ordered to take the left of the road, within sup- 
porting distance of the column, which, on the execution 
of this order, again moved forward, the enemy retiring 
before it. On an eminence, near IiUndy*s lane, at a point, 
chosen by major general Riall, because of the decided ad- 
vantage of the ground, tiie enemy was posted in great 
strength, with a formidable battery of nine pieces of ar- 
tillery, two of which were brass 24 pounders, and an ex- 
tensive and heavy line of infantry. This position was 
extremely favourable to the operations of the battery, and 
there the British general had long wished to engage the 
troops, wlio had compelled him to retire from every other, 
at which battle had been previously given them. 

On the arrival of general Scott's column at a narrow 
Strip of woods, by which only the British line was ob- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 285 

scured from his view, captains ^arris and Pentland, were 
first fired on, and gallantly engaged the enemy's advance, 
which had gradually retreated, to draw the American 
column to the situation at Lundy's lane. The brigade 
column was again immediately halted, lieutenant colonel 
Leavenworth ordered to his situation, and lieutenant co- 
lonel Jessup, with the 25th, detached to attack the left 
of the British line. The 9th, 11th, and 22d, passed the 
advanced corps, and moving to the north of the wood, 
entered a smooth field, in full view of the enemy, and 
within canister distance of his battery. The rear of the 
column having cleared the wood, general Scott ordered 
the line to be instantly formed. This order was not exe- 
cuted before the British opened a tremendous fire from 
their battery, and the whole line of their infantry drawn 
up on its right, and obliquely in its front. Towson, with 
his artillery, was stationed on the right of the 9th, and 
though they could not be brought to bear upon the emi- 
nence, he animated the American line, by an incessant 
discharge from all his pieces. 

Thus drawn up on both sides, the action continued, with 
unceasing animation, upwards of an hour, against a force„ 
then almost thrice superior to the American brigade. In 
the course of that time, the 11th and 22d regiments, hav- 
ing expended their ammunition, colonel Brady and lieu- 
tenant colonel M'Neill, being both severely wounded, and 
all the captains of the former, and most of the officers of 
the latter, either killed or wounded, both regiments were 
withdrawn from action, and many of the officers, but prin- 
cipally subalterns, attached themselves to the 9th, and 
fought under its gallant chief, in various capacities, and 
with unusual courage and perseverance. Among these 
were lieutenant Crawford, and lieutenant and adjutant 
Sawyer. Against the chief part of the British line, lieu- 
tenant colonel Leavenworth, with the remains of the 9th 
alone, continued the engagement with unshaken firmness 
and bravery; and was, at length, directed to advance and 
charge upon the height, and with the 11th and 22d, to 
break the enemy's line. Notwithstanding these three re- 
giments were greatly diminished by the excessive loss of 
officers and men, they nevertheless steadily advanced, with 
supported arms, until general Scott, learning the shattered 
condition of the 11th and 22d, countermanded the order. 



286 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

The enemy was at thi% moment pressing upon the left 
of the line ; the right of the 9th, was therefore thrown for- 
ward to meet and repulse him, and the whole regiment, 
commenced a fire more animating, if possible, but cer- 
tainly more destructive than the first. It is scarcely pos- 
sible to do justice to the conduct of this gallant regiment^ 
or of its intrepid commander. It had already given such 
signal instances of individual valour, as were never sur- 
passed upon an open field. But valour alone, is not com- 
petent to resist the repeated assaults, of a numerous and 
increasing foe; and against a prodigious inequality of num- 
bers, it is sometimes little less than madness to contend. 
The 9th regiment, was at length reduced to nearly half 
the number with which it had entered the field, and being 
still pressed by the enemy, who frequently charged with a 
fresh line, lieutenant colonel Leavenworth despatched an 
officer to general Scott, to communicate its condition. The 
general having been just informed of the approach of re- 
inforcements from Chippewa, rode immediately to the 
position of that regiment, and directed it to maintain its 
ground. 

That indefatigable and excellent reconnoitring officer, 
lieutenant Riddle, of the 15th infantry, had been sent out 
in the morning, with a party of 100 men, to scour the 
surrounding country. He had not proceeded more than 
three miles from the encampment, when, in attempting to 
gain the rear of a scout of the enemy, he was informed 
by several of the inhabitants, of his being close upon a 
division of 3000 of the British troops. At the time of his 
leaving the camp, general Brown had not been apprised 
of the contiguity of the enemy, and lieutenant Riddle, 
therefore, hastened back with all possible speed, to com- 
municate the intelligence. The nature of the ground, 
over which he had to retrace his steps, and the extreme 
caution- with which it was necessary to proceed, to avoid 
reconnoitring detachments of the enemy, lengthened his 
distance, from the head quarters, upwards of five miles. 
He had not arrived at the position of the American^ at 
Chippewa, when he was apprised of the meeting of the 
hostile armies, by the repeated and heavy discharges of 
artillery. Naturally concluding that general Brown's 
whole force had proceeded to the field of battle, and not 
hesitating a moment, as to the course he should pursue. 



Ol THii; liATJi WAR, 287 

he wheeled his detachment upon the Niagara road, and 
immediately marched to a participation in the engage- 
ment. This detachment was tl^ first reinforcing party 
which arrived to the relief of the first brigade, and o-ene- 
ral Scott stationed it on his extreme left, with direc^ons 
to lieutenant Riddle, to watch the motions of the British 
riflemen and Indians. 

By the same circumstance, the report of the artillery, 
general Brown was also first informed of the commence- 
ment of the action, and of its scene, and having directed 
general Ripley to follow with the 2d brigade, was already 
on his way to the falls, when he met the assistant adjutant 
general, major Jones, returning to the encampment at 
full speed for reinforcements. The intelligence commu- 
nicated by major Jones, induced the commander in chief 
to despatch him, to order up general Porter's volunteers, 
in addition to the 2d brigade, and the park of artillery! 
General Brown then rode hastily, with his aids, accom- 
panied by major M'Ree, of the engmeers, towards the 
field of battle, and on his further advance, was met by a 
second messenger, major Wood, also of the engineers, 
and who had marched with general Scott's brigade. From 
this gallant and accomplished officer, he received a report 
of the close and sanguinary character of the action, and 
directed him to return with him to the field. 

Exhausted and reduced as the 9th, 11th, and 22d regi- 
ments already were, another vigorous onset from the ene- 
my, sufficiently numerous to interpose occasionally a fresh 
line, might probably decide the fate of the day, before the 
arrival of the approaching reinforcements. The determined 
and obstinate manner, however, in which they had gilready 
received, and repulsed, the gallant and repeated charges 
of the British infantry, induced major general Riall to 
overrate their force. But, to whatever measure of streno-th 
these intrepid regiments amounted, he knew also, that the 
number of his :ombatants would be augmented from the 
camp at Chippewa, and being assured of the necessity, in 
that event, of enlarging his own force, he despatched mes- 
sengers to lieutenant general Drummond, at fort George, 
t(J inform him of the desperate nature of the conflict. — 
Until this period of the engagement, his force, including 
the incorporated militia and some Indians, amounted to 



Ogg HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

1637 men, being more than double the strength by which 
he was opposed. 

Major general Brown arrived at the scene of this obsti- 
nate struggle, about the time at which general Scott or- 
dered the 9th regiment to maintain its ground, and seeing 
the exhausted state of the troops, and the shattered con- 
dition of the brigade, determined on holding it in reserve, 
whilst the reinforcing troops should continue the engage- 
ment. The 9th, 11th, and 22d regiments, were therefore 
consolidated into one battalion, under colonel Brady, who, 
though wounded, refused to quit the field, until the result 
of the engagement siiould be known. General Ripley's 
brigade, major Hindman's artillery, and general Porter's 
volunteers, all of whom had marched with unusual rapi- 
dity, over a difficult road, were now within a short dis- 
tance of Lundy's lane. General Ripley being in the 
advance, and within half a mile of the field, immediately 
despatched his aid de camp, lieutenant M'Donald, of the 
19th infantry, to inform general Brown of his approach, 
and to receive instructions as to the situation of the ene- 
my, and orders, as to the disposition of his brigade. 

Immediately before the arrival of general Ripley, a 
temporary pause prevailed between the two armies; an 
awful and (but for the groans of the wounded soldiers,) 
an unbroken silence was preserved among the troops on 
either side; the impetuous descent of the stupendous ca- 
taract of the Niagara, alone interrupted the pervading 
stillness, and contributed to the solemnity and grandeur 
of the scene : and the leaders of both forces, having fallen 
back to their original positions, seemed mutually disposed 
to a momentary cessation of the sanguinary and fatiguing 
strife. The arrival of these reinforcements, under general 
Ripley, and of others, under lieutenant general Drum- 
mond, put an end to this suspension of hostilities, and 
the engagement was renewed with augmented vigour. 

Major Hindman's artillery being brought up, the com- 
panies of captains Biddle and Ritchie, in addition to Tow- 
son's detachment, soon came into action, and general 
Porter's volunteers were displayed upon the left of gene- 
ral Scott's brigade. Lieutenant M'Donald, who had been 
despatched for orders, having met captain Spencer, one 
of tlie aids of the commander in chief, bearing orders for 



OF THE LATE WAR. 289 

the 2d biigade to form on tlie skirts of the wood to the 
riaht of the 1st, immediately returned to general Ripley 
With these directions. 

Meanwliile, the 25th regiment under lieutenant colonel 
Jessup, which had been ordered, in t^e early part of the 
action to take post on the right, had gallantly contended 
ao-ainst, and succeeded in turning the enemy's left flank. 
Lieutenant colonel Jessup, availing himself of the extreme 
darkness of the night, and of the incaution of the British 
o-eneral in not placing a proper guard across a road upon 
his left, threw his regiment in the rear of the enemy's re- 
serve and surprising one detachment after another, made 
prisoners of so many of their officers aijd men, that the 
operations of his fire arms were constantly impeded, (ge- 
neral Drummond, who was now commanding m person 
the front line of the enemy, having determined on concen^ 
tratinff his whole force, and leading it to the attack ot gen. 
Scott's brigade in front and on each flank, and despatch- 
ed his aid de camp, captain Lorin-, to bring up general 
Riall with the reserve. It wa's the good fortune, box.- 
ever, of captain Ketchum, of this regiment whose emi» 
nent services greatly contributed to the victorious issue 
of the battle atthippewa, to make prisoners of ^r ge^ 
neral Riall, who was wounded in the arni,and the aid of 
fieutenant general Drummond before the reserve was 

^"Hall this'concentration of genei^al Riall's line with that 

of general Drummond been effected, the reduced brigade 

comnosed now only of the consolidated battalion, could 

3tht momentfand without the support of the 2d bri- 

"ade, have withstood the assault of so overwhelming a 

force- and the movement of lieutenant colonel Jessup, 

there ore unquestionably saved that battalion Having 

hastily adopted proper arrangements for the disposal ot 

his prlsoneik lieutenant colonel Jessup felt his way to the 

spot w^^^^^ warmest fire was kept up upon the bn- 

Ide To which he belonged. Eastwardly of Lundy's lane, 

Ind on the south of the^Queenstown road, he drew up his 

re<^iment behind a fence, from which he could effectual 

. v'annoy the enemy. A party of the British infant y 

were at^that time, drawn up in front of a f^nce, on die 

opposite side of the same road. Lieutenant colonel Jes- 

Ss approach to his present position, had been made 

Bt) 



290 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

with so much secrecy, that they did not know he -w-M 
there, until they received a deadly and destructive fire, 
which compelled them to break and fly along the Queens- 
town road. By the blaze of this fire, lieutenant colonel 
Jessup was discovered to major' general Brown, who rode 
up, applauded his conduct, and directed him to move 
by Lundy's lane, and form upon the right of the 2d bri* 

gade. 

The operations of that brigade were all this time car- 
ried on with the utmost brilliancy and success. When 
his aid de camp communicated tiie order of the comman« 
der in chief, general Ripley saw the impracticability of 
operating upon the enemy, from the position at which he 
was directed to display his column ; or of advancing from 
it, in line, upon an emergency, through a close wood. 
At the same moment too, general Drummond's infantry 
and all his artillery, had commenced a galling fire upon 
general Scott's brigade, which could only be supported 
by a direct movement of the 2d brigade upon the centre 
of the enemy's line. The impenetrable darkness of the 
night, rendered it difficult for the generals of brigade, at 
all times, to find the commander in chief, or each other, 
and general Ripley, therefore, determined to assume a 
responsibility, by adopting in time, the only movement 
which could save the 1st brigade from inevitable destruc- 
tion, and ultimately achieve tlie victory. 

He therefore proposed to colonel Miller, the same who 
had distinguished himself in the earliest stage of the war, 
at Maguaga, and who now commanded the 21st, or Rip- 
ley's old regiment, to storm the enemy's battery with 
that, whilst he would support him by leading up the 23d, 
a younger and less experienced regiment, to a charge 
upon the British flank. Colonel Miller, well knowing 
the perilous nature of this desperate duty, replied to his 
general, " I'll try, sir"* and immediately put his regi- 
ment in readiness by forming it in line, on the left of tlie 
road, directly in front of his object. The 23d was, at the 
same time, formed in close column, by its commander, 
major M'Farland, and the first which had arrived that 
day under lieutenant colonel Nicholas, from a long and 

* Words afterwards worn on the buttons of the 21st regiment 



OF THE LATE WAlt. 291 

fatiguing march, was directed to menace the enemy's in- 
fantry. Whilst these dispositions were making, general 
Ripley despatched his aid to apprise general Brown of the 
impossibility of forming on the skirt of the wood, and of 
the measures which he had, in consequence, adopted. 
The commander in chief highly commended the design 
of the brigadier general, and instantly authorised its exe- 
cution. With hearts panting for the accomplishment of 
this enterprise, these regiments moved forward, under a 
rapid and destructive fire directed against them, at their 
very onset, by the enemy's whole line of musketry, and 
every piece of his cannon. The 21st, nevertheless, 
promptly pressed .forward ; the 23d faltered. It was, 
however, instantly rallied by the personal exertions ot" 
general Ripley, who led it up to the contemplated charge. 
At a distance of little more than 100 yards from the top 
of the eminence^ on vvhich the British cannon were posted, 
and which these regiments were necessarily obliged to as- 
cend, they received another, and equally as severe a dis- 
charge from the musketry, and heavy pieces. The 21st 
was now, however, too mucii enamoured of its object, 
and the 23d too obstinately determined on retrieving its 
fame, to betray the smallest disposition, to recoil from 
the near consummation of their bold and hazardous enter- 
prise. By this fire major M'Farland, of the 2Sd, was 
killed, and the command of that regiment devolved upon 
major Brooke, an officer of no less intrepidity and valour. 
The description of a more brilliant, and decisive move- 
ment, may never have been registered on the ^age of 
history. To the amazement of the whole British line,, 
colonel Miller, steadily and silently advancing up the 
eminence, until within a few paces of the enemy's cannon 
impetuously charged upon the artillerists, and after a 
short but desperate contest, carried the whole battery, 
and instantly formed his line in its rear, upon the same 
ground on which the British infantry had been previously 
posted. In carrying the heaviest pieces, the 21st regi- 
ment experienced severe losses, several officers of dis- 
tinguished bravery and merit, being either killed or 
wounded. Lieutenant Cilley, who commanded an ad- 
vanced company of that regiment, by a resolute and un- 
exampled eftbrt, carried one of the guns, and fell wound- 
ed by its side immediately after. He had advanced upon 



292 HISTORICAl. SKETCHES 

it with such rapidity, as to bayonet the men stationed 
at it before they had time to escape, and cut down with 
his own hand, an artillerist, who was applying a match to 
the piece. In the same charge, lieutenant Bigelow was 
killed, and captain Burbank, and ensigns Jones and Tho- 
mas, and lieutenant Fisk of the 19th, and ensign Camp 
of the second rifle, both attached to the 21st, were 
wounded. 

The advance of the 23d, upon the British infantry 
supporting the cannon, being as prompt as that of the 
21st, both regiments pierced the enemy's line at the same 
instant. Major Brooke, in obedience to the order of ge- 
neral Ripley, led his battalion, under t^ie eye of his com- 
mander, into the very ranks of the enemy, and putting 
them to a hasty and disorderly reti'eat, marched up to the 
relief of colonel' Miller, who, though he had formed his 
line in the rear of the captured battery, had not yet driven 
the enemy below the eminence, and was at this moment 
closely pressed, almost at its summit. By the junction 
of these two regiments, however, and the bringing into 
line of the first, the fate of this assault was determined, 
the British infantry and artillerists retired beyond the 
reach of musketry, arid their own cannon were turned 
against them. 

The features of the action now began to assume a new 
character. The heights from which the enemy had been 
thus gallantly dislotlgcd, being a very commanding posi- 
tion, the maintenance of them, would alone determine 
the issu'e of the conflict, and general Ripley immediately 
formed his line for the protection of the riewly acquired 
battery, and prepared to r8cei\ e the assaults which he 
rightly conjectured would be made for its recovery. — 
When the capture of general Riall was announced, be- 
fore the dislodgment of the British from the eminence, 
the elation of tlie first brigade \\'as manifested by three 
loud huzzas, which brought a shell from the enemy that 
fell in major Hindman*s corps, and exploded a casso7i of 
ammunition, belonging to the company of the brave and 
lamented captain Ritchie, who, being mortally wounded 
in the course of the engagement, fell into the hands of 
the British. Major Hind man was now directed to bring 
up his corps, including Towson's detachment, and post 
himself, with his own and the captured cannon, on the 



OF THE J.ATE WAR. 293 

nghi ol' general Ripley's brigade, and between it and the 
Q5t\i; on the left of the second brigade, general Porter's 
volunteers were then ranged. 

The line being thus formed, at the expiration "of h. 
short interval, lieutenant general Drunimond, incensed 
beyond measure at tlie capture of his artillery, resolved 
on regaining it, and being strongly reinforced, advanced 
upon general Ripley, with a heavy and extended line, 
outflanking him on both extremes. In anticipation of his 
approach, which could only be discovered by the sound 
attending it, general Ripley had directed his troops, to 
reserve their fire, until they had received that of the as- 
sailants, and, if necessary, to feel the bayonets, before 
they should discharge then- pieces,.with the double view 
of drawing the advancing line within close striking dis- 
tance, and of making his own fire more deadly and effec- 
tive, by giving it a direction by the flashes of the enemy's 
musketry. 

On the other hand, lieutenant general Drummond, thus 
resolutely determined on the recovery of his cannon, 
gave a peremptory order to all his platoon officers, to 
advance steadily, and without any regard to the fire of 
the American line; and, after attaining a given distance, 
to make a prompt and vigorous charge, and, if possible, to 
fall directly upon the cannon. His whole division, there- 
fore, marched at a quick step, until it. came within 20 
paces of the summit of the height, when the several regi- 
ments received orders to pour in a rapid fire, upon the 
American line, and to follow it with the immediate ap- 
peal to the bayonet. This fire was no sooner delivered, 
than the second brigade, the volunteers, and lieutenant 
colonel Jessup's regiment, instantaneously returned it, 
and threw the enemy's line into a momentary confusion. 
But, being immediately rallied, it returned to a conflict 
more tremendous, than any which had been witnessed in 
the day's battle. Upwards of twenty minutes, one blaze 
of fire succeeded another, in each line ; sections, compa- 
nies, and regiments, mutually fell back, and were suc- 
cessively rallied, and again brought into action; but, at 
length, the British line was forced back, and the doubtful 
contest terminated in their retiring to the lower extremity 
of the hill. 

B b 2 



594 HISTORICAL SKiJTCME* 

It was not to be supposed, however, that the enemy, 
the greatest proportion of whose troops had been accus- 
tomed to desperate feats of valour, and had encountered 
the most experienced battalions of European armies, had 
yet consented to yield, to an army but lately made up of 
the rawest materials, what in that event would be consi- 
dered the trophies of a victory. Measures were, accord- 
ingly, instantly adopted by general Ripley, to remove his 
wounded, and restore his line to proper order. 

Whilst this splendid repulse was given to the assault 
of the enemy, general- Scott's consolidated battalion, which 
had been until this time, held in reserve, was drawn up 
in the rear of the second brigade, under lieutenant colonel 
Leavenworth, colonel Brady's wounds having rendered 
him unfit for active duty. General Scott's brigade ma- 
jor, lieutenant Smith, and his aid, captain Worth, being, 
at this time, both severely wounded, he selected an aid 
from the 9th regiment, and forming the battalion into co- 
lumn, marched it across the field, and displayed it on a 
narrow lane, parallel with, and to the south of Lundy's 
lane. From this position he despatched lieutenant colo- 
nel Leavenworth to seek the commander in chief, and to 
receive his orders as to the disposition of the battalion. 
General Brown being conducted to its position by the co- 
lonel, a short conversation followed between the two ge- 
nerals, the result of which was the immediate movement 
of general Scott's command into Lundy's lane, where it 
was to be formed with its right towards the Niagara road, 
and its left in the rear of tlie captured battery. 

Having given a new arrangement to his troops, gene- 
ral Drummond, after a lapse of half an hour, was dis- 
covered to be advancing to a second charge. He was re- 
ceived with undiminished firmness, and general Ripley's 
order to retain the fire being repeated, the whole British 
line discharged its musketry, from the same point at 
which it had previously paused. The light which was 
thence emitted, enabled the Americans to fire with the 
utmost precision, and to check the enemy's nearer ad- 
vance. The repeated discharges of major Hindman's 
artillery, which was served with uncommon skill and re- 
gularity, were severely felt by the advancing line, and 
the officers attached to it behaved with coolness and gal- 



OF THE LATE WAR* 295 

lantrj. The situation on the top of the eminence, gave 
many and decided advantages to general Ripley's com- 
mand ; scarcely a shot was fired, which failed of hitting 
its object, whilst the fire of the British, being more ele- 
vated, generally went over the heads of the Americans. 
Greneral Ripley, being of a tall stature, and mounted with- 
in eight paces of the rear of his line, was by this circum- 
stance constantly exposed to the enemy's balls. His horse 
was wounded under him, and his hat twice perforated in 
the course of the second attack. After the first discharge, 
in this eflfort to regain his battery, the British general, de- 
termining to break the centre of the American line, com- 
posed of the 21st regiment, and detachments of the 17th 
and 19th, levelled his fire at that point. With the excep- 
tion of a few platoons, the 21st, however, remained un- 
shaken. These being immediately rallied by general Rip- 
ley, the contest continued with great vivacity, until the 
enemy, finding he could not make another impression on 
the American, and feeling his own line recoiling, again 
fell back to the bottom of the eminence. 

Immediately after the commencement of tliis second 
contest, the remains of the first brigade were also brouglit 
into action. At the time of the second discharge, the 
two lines being nearly parallel, and enveloped in a blaze 
of fire, general Scott, who had approached the top of the 
eminence, to ascertain their situation, now rode hastily 
back to his brigade, demanded, in an animated voice, of 
colonel Leavenworth, " are these troops prepared for the 
charge?" and, without waiting for a reply, ordered them 
into close column, their left in front, and to move forward 
and charge. This order being executed almost as soon 
as it was given, the general led up the column, and pass- 
ing between the pieces of artillery, advanced upon the 
enemy's left. 

The gallantry of general Scott's troops, however, could 
not prevail against a double line of infantry, by which th« 
British flank was supported, and tiiis charge being met 
with unexpected firmness, the consolidated battalion fell 
back, and passed to the extreme left of general Porter's 
volunteers, who were all this time warmly engaged with 
the enemy. Lieutenant colonel Leavenworth was then 
ordered to re-form the column, and to cliange its front, 
which being done, general Scott led it to a second charge. 



296 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

and made a resolute attempt to turn* the enemy's right. 
This flank being also protected by a double line, the at- 
tempt was not more successful than the former ; and the 
battalion again falling back, was ordered to form on the 
left of the line, whilst the general passed to the right and 
joining lieutenant colonel Jessup's regiment, had his shoul- 
der fractured by a musket ball, and almost at the same 
instant, received a severe wound in the side, wliich com- 
pelled him to leave the field; not, however, without hav- 
ing first returned to lieutenant colonel Leavenworth, 
whom he ordered to move to the right of the line, and 
consolidate his battalion with the 25th regrment, the com- 
mander of which was also severely wounded. General 
Scott liad hitherto escaped the fire of the enemy with sin- 
gular good fortune ; he had been constantly, and probably 
too often, in the most exposed situations ; he led his 
troops in person to the separate charges, and never shrunk 
from any part of the engagement, however desperate or 
dangerous. He was now conveyed to the encampment at 
Chippewa, whence he was soon after removed to the Ame- 
rican side of the Niagara. 

Having thus failed in two vigorous and determined ef- 
forts for the recovery of his pieces, the British general 
began to despair of any better success from a third ; but 
the fortunate arrival of another reinforcing party from 
fort George, now protected by four of the British fleet, 
reanimating his troops, he put them in readiness for ano- 
ther charge, by forming a fresh line with the new detach- 
ment. Upwards of half an hour having elapsed since his 
second repulse, it was considered very doubtful by the 
Americans, whether their ability to maintain their ground 
would be put to another trial. Excessively fatigued by 
the violence of the last struggle, their canteens being 
exhausted, and no water (an article now almost as in- 
dispensable as ammunition,) at hand to replenish them, 
it would be wondered at, if they had either courted or 
desired a renewal of the contest. But thev were deter- 
mined to lose no part of the reputation, wliich they had 
that night acquired, and if the cannon were again to be 
defended, they would be defended with equal vigour 
and animation. Their doubts were very soon removed, 
by the approach, in a more extended line, of the whole 
body of. the British troops, who, independently of thei^- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 297 

reinforcements, had tlie advantage of being amply re- 
lieshed, from the plentiful resources at Queenstown and 
St. David's. 

The advance qf the enemy was no sooner made known 
to general Ripley's line, than the ardour of all his men in- 
stantly revived, and remembering the order of their gallant 
commander, to reserve their fire, they prepared to receive 
that of the approaching line. 

The British delivered their fire nearly within the same 
distance as before, but they did not fall back from the 
fire of the Americans with the same precipitation.— Their 
fresh line steadily advanced, and repeated its discharge; 
the Americans remained firm, and returned it; and an ob- 
stinate and tremendous conflict followed. The 21st again 
manifested its determined character, and under the direc- 
tion of colonel Miller, dealt out a destructive fire upon 
its assailants. The right and left repeatedly fell back, but 
were as often rallied, and brought into the line, to preserve 
which, th.e exertions of the general, and colonels Miller, 
Nicholas, and Jessup, and all the other officers, were con- 
stantly required. On the otiier hand, the fresh troops of 
the British, were as unshaken as their antagonist, the 21st; 
but the regiments and sections, which had been before re- 
pulsed, recoiled again, and were repeatedly urged forward 
by their officers. At length, the two lines were on the very 
summit of the hill, each at the point of the bayonets of the 
other, and both appealing to that weapon, with unusual 
force and rapidity. Such was the obstinacy of the con- 
tending parties, that many battalions on both sides were 
forced back, by the vigour of the combat, and the British 
and American lines became mingled with each other. At 
that part of the height, on which the cannon were station- 
ed, t!ie battle was most desperate. The enemy having 
forced himself into the very midst of major Hindman's 
artillery, two piecos 'of which the officers of that corps 
were compelled to spike, he was warmly engaged across 
the carriages and guns; and tlie slaughter which took place 
upon the eminence, sufficiently evinced his determination 
to recapture, and the resolution of the American artillerists 
to retain, the trophies which the gallantry of the infantry 
had won. 

I'he close and personal contests now prevailing from 
one end of the line to the other, produced a degree of 



!298 HISTORIC Ali SKETCHES 

confusion, which the coohiess and energy of the general 
could scarcely suppress. The broken sections were at 
length, however, restored to the line, and, having regained 
then* several positions, compelled the enemy's right and 
left wings to fall back. The centre of his line imitating 
the example of the flanks, also gave way, and the assault 
upon the artillery, after a dreadful conflict, being at this 
moment repulsed, the whole British line fled precipitately 
a third time. The personal and most active exertions of 
their principal officers, could not retard the flight of the 
troops, and they retreated beyo^id tlie reach either of mus- 
ketry or cannon. General Drummond, seeing that the 
repulse of this last and most determined effort, had wearied 
and depressed his line, and feeling assured that it would 
be difficult to lead them on to another attempt, which, too, 
in all probability, would be followed by a more disastrous 
discomfiture, consented to relinquish his cannon, and re- 
tired beyond the borders of the field, over which were 
strewed the dead and wounded of both armies. 

At the commencement of the last charge, major gene- 
ral Brown, while attending to the formation of lieutenant 
colonel Leavenworth's battalion, was severely wounded 
by a musket ball in the right thigh. A little while after, 
he received a second wound on the left side, and being 
compelled to quit the field, retired also to the Chippewa, 
and devolved the command on general Ripley. Though 
the British had been forced to withdraw from the action, 
that officer, not knowing whether they had yet yielded 
the victory, or whether they contemplated the adoption 
of measures, by which still to retrieve the honour of their 
arms, re-formed his line, and held it in readiness to re- 
ceive an attack, in whatever manner it should be made. 
Convinced of the necessity of the removal of the captur- 
ed cannon, and of the immense loss which would thence 
be prevented, general Ripley had frequently despatched 
his aid to general Brown, for the means of transporting 
them from the field. No means, were, however, at hand, 
most of the horses being already killed, and the remain- 
der necessary to draw off* the American pieces. General 
Ripley, therefore, at the close of the engagement, order- 
ed general Porter to detach a party of his volunteers to 
assist in their removal. — But, the British guns being un-- 
Umbered, and in a dismantled condition, it w^s found to 



OF THE LATE AVAK. 299 

be impracticable to draw them away, but by means of 
drag-ropes, none of which were at that time on the ground. 
Reluctant as were all the troops of the line to abandon tlie 
trophies, which had been gained by the resistless valour of 
the 2d brigade, to difficulties, now found to be insurmount- 
able, they were obliged to, yield. 

It was at this moment, while in conversation with lieu- 
tenant colonel Leavenworth, whose battalion was then 
condensed with the 25th regiment, and commanded by 
lieutenant colonel Jessup, and who had been sent by that 
officer for directions as to the dispositions of the 1st bri- 
gade, tliat general Ripley received an order from general 
Brown to collect the dead and wounded, and to return 
with the army to its encampment on tlie Chippewa. In 
obedience to the wishes of the commander in chief, this 
order was put into immediate execution. Major Hindman 
with the artillery, was already on his march, and the rem- 
nants of the regular and volunteer brigades, having first 
rolled the smaller pieces of the enemy's cannon down the 
precipice, returned to the camp in good order, and without 
molestation, about I o'clock in the morning of the 26th. 

In this instance, as at the defence of Sacket's Harbour, 
where it has been seen, the British troops were opposed 
and repulsed by the same commander, the enemy claim- 
ed another decisive and more brilliant victory. The gov- 
ernor general, sir George Prevost, and the commanding 
general Drummond, complimented the regulars and mili- 
tia engaged in it, *\for their eocemplary steadiness, gal- 
*' lantry and discipline, in repulsing all the efforts of a 
" numerous and determined enemy, to carry the position 
" of Lundy's lane^' and announced, " that their exertions 
" had been crowned ivith success, by the complete defeat of 
" the euemyJ" 

If, upon ground of their own selection, and with a body 
of 1637 men, to assail an advanced party of an enemy of 
only 750, and after an hour's obstinate conflict, to repose 
on tlieir arms, until they could be relieved by reinforce- 
ments — If, after a mutual reinforcement, their enemy's 
numbers should amount to two brigades of 1450 infantry, 
a detachment of 367 artillery, and a corps of 600 volun- 
teers, making in all 2417 men, and their own force should 
ct>nsist3 according to a report of one of their officers. 



300 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

of 3450 regulars, 1200 incorporated militia, and 480 In- 
dians, making in all 5130 men, and, with this disparity 
of strength, they should be driven from the eminence on 
which they had advantageously posted themselves, with 
the loss, too, of all their cannon — If after three desperate 
assaults, any one of them upwards of £0 minutes in du- 
ration, for the recovery of their battery, and with the abi- 
lity to interpose fresh lines, to be successively repulsed 
with immense losses, and, after a contest of six hours 
(from half past 5 in the evening, until 12 at night) be- 
tween s6me of the best disciplined troops of Europe, and 
newly raised recruits, the former eventually to withdraw 
from the field, and leave their enemy in possession not 
only of their cannon, but of one of their generals, the 
second in command, the first having narrowly escaped 
capture — If this be to effect the complete defeat and 
overthrow of their adversary, the Ijritish troops certainly 
achieved a brilliant and decisive victory. The governor 
general of the Canadas was in the performance of his 
duty when he complimented them for their steadiness ; 
and, the prince regent of England betrayed no precipi- 
tation, when he announced it to the world, and permit- 
ted " Niagara" to be worn upon the caps of one of the 
regiments. 

The captured artillery, it is true, was re-obtained by 
its original owners ; but, its return to their possession, 
was neither the result of any desperate effort to regain it, 
nor the evidence of a victory. They had entered into 
the engagement under circumstances highly advantage- 
ous. Their force could be continually augmented, either 
by requisitions for militia, or by the concentration of their 
regulars from the neighbouring posts, and was already 
double the strength of the Americans. They were sur- 
rounded by deposits of ammunition, and, being in the 
vicinity of their garrisons, could at any time, administer 
to the wants of their army. Not so the Americans. — 
They were at a distance from any resources, whence 
they might derive either supplies or reinforcements. — ■ 
Their numbers had been lessened by repeated skirmishes 
with the enemy, and by the casualties commonly inci- 
dent to armies. With the odds against them, they had 
been drawn into this tremendous struggle, the long dura- 



OF THE LATE AVAR. 301 

tion ot which so much exhausted their troops, and reduced 
their numbers, tliat after becoming the entire masters 
of the field, and keeping- possession of it nearly an hour, 
they retired with a force not amounting to the comple- 
ment of two regiments. In this reduced state, and with- 
out the means of removing the captured property, they 
left the enemy's cannon at the foot of the eminence, on 
which they had proudly, and gallantly wrested it from 
him. Had their means been less limited, they might 
have embellished the conquest not only with these, but 
other splendid trophies; put all disputation for ever at 
rest; and left no alternative to the enemy, but an acknow- 
ledgment of his defeat and disgrace. In a battle des- 
perate and tremendous as this is represented to have 
been, the losses on each side must necessarily have been 
immense. In killed, wounded, prisoners, and missing, 
the total of both armies amounted to 1729, the proportion 
being nearly equal, and the killed and wounded alone 
1384. On the side of the enemy, 1 assistant adjutant ge- 
neral, 1 captain, 3 subalterns, and 79 non-commissioned 
officers and privates were killed ; lieutenant general Drum- 
mond, major general Riall, and 3 lieutenants colonel, 2 
majors, 8 captains, 22 subalterns, and 522 non-commis- 
sioned officers and privates were wounded; and the pri- 
soners and missing amounted to, 1 aid de cam]) (captain 
Loring,) 5 other captains, 9 subalterns, and 220 non- 
commissioned officers and privates; making in all 878 
men. 

Many officers of distinction fell also on the other side, 
and the total loss was little less than that of the Biitish: 
it consisted of 1 major, 5 captains, 5 subalterns, 150 non- 
commissioned officers and privates, killed; major general 
Brown, brigadiers general Scott and Porter; 2 aids de 
camp, 1 brigade major, 1 colonel, 4 lieutenants colonel, 
1 major, 7 captains, 37 subalterns, and 515 non-commis- 
sioned officers and privates, wounded ; and 1 brigade ma- 
jor, 1 captain, 6 subalterns, and 102 non-commissioned 
officers and privates, missing ; making a grand total of 
851, and a difference of 27 only between the contending 
parties. 

Of the individual gallantry of the officers, from the high- 
est in rank, down to the youngest subaltern, the most po- 
sitive evidence is furnished by the long list of killed and 

Cc 



302 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

wounded. Every man upon the field being engaged in 
the battle, the bravery of no one officer was distinguivsha- 
ble from another, except in those instances when by the 
change of the enemy's movements, detachments were 
thrown into situations, from which they could be extri- 
cated only by the most daring intrepidity. 

When tlie American forces returned to their encamp- 
ment at Chippewa, major general Brown directed gene= 
ral Ripley to refresh the troops and proceed with them ear- 
ly in the morning, to the battle ground ; with a view, no 
doubt, to reconnoitre the enemy, and if he loitered near 
the field in a position from which he might be advan- 
tageously driven, to engage him ; but certainly not to 
assail a superior force, under circumstances to the last 
degree unfavourable, and which would inevitably result 
in the total destruction of the American army. The 
troops, now amounting to about 1560, being put in mo- 
tion, in obedience to this order, general Ripley despatch- 
ed reconnoitring parties in advance of his main body. — 
From these he learned that the enemy was posted on the 
field in advance of his former position on the eminence ; 
reinforced as had been reported by the prisoners; his line 
drawn up between the river and a thick wood, his flanks 
resting on each, and his cannon stationed so as to enfi- 
lade the road. Under such circumstances, it would have 
been highly injudicious to have attacked him; and, where 
no advantages are to be gained, the useless effusion of 
human blood, is a stain upon the ability and valour, as 
well as upon the judgment and humanity of the soldier. 
General Ripley seeing the impossibility of regaining the 
field of battle, and, the probability of his own flanks be- 
ing compelled to fall back, by the immense superiority 
of the enemy's numbers, turned his army towards the 
Chippewa; whence, having first destroyed the bridges 
over that stream, as well as the platforms, which he had 
previously constructed at the enemy's old works there, 
he pursued liis retreat towards the fort Erie ; and reached 
it in good order on the following day. There he deter- 
mined upon making a decided stand against the British 
troops, whose regular and gradual approaches he anti- 
cipated. 



CTF THE LATE WAK. 30S 



CHAPTER XIX. 



Defences of Fort Erie extended — Invested by the enemi/ 
'—The British land helow Buffaloes and are repulsed 
at Conejockeda Creek — Jiff airs of outposts — Death of 
Major Morgan — Assault upon Fort Erie — The be- 
siegers driven hack to their works — Loss of the schoo- 
ners Somers and Ohio — Renewal of the cannonade and 
bombardment. 

This retrograde movement of the American army 
was no sooner effected, and tlie situations of the different 
regiments allotted in the encampment, than the com- 
manding general (Ripley) immediately directed the lines 
of defence to be extended, the fort enlarged, and new 
batteries erected. With the aid of the engineers, lieute- 
nants colonel Wood and M*Ree, defences of abattis, tra- 
verses, intrenchments, and redoubts, were instantly com- 
menced, and from the 27th of July, until the 2d or 3d of 
August, the troops were employed night and day, in 
placing the works in a state, to sustain the expected and 
almost certain attack. Had lieutenant general Drum- 
mond followed up the victory which he claimed, he would 
iiave found the shattered American brigades scarcely in 
any kind of condition to resist him. But the cautious 
enemy did not choose to pursue a retreating army, whose 
troops had given him such signal proofs of their intrepi- 
dity, until his own numbers were again enlarged. On the 
29th of July, being reinforced by the right and left wings 
of De Watteville troops (1100 strong), he pushed forward 
to the investment of the fort. This reinforcement ex- 
tend^l his numbers to 5352 men, and with this formi- 
dable superiority of strength, he appeared, on the 3d day 
of August, before a fort, \vhich, but a few days before, was 
declared by the enemy to be a wretched stockade, alto- 
gether incapable of defence. 



304 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

Having driven in the American picquets, and formed 
his encampment two miles distant from the garrison, he 
gradually approached wtthin 400 or 600 yards of the fort 
(properly so called) commenced a double line of intrench- 
ments, erected batteries in front of them at points from 
which he could throw in an effectual fire, and planted his 
cannon so as to enfilade the works. Seeing by these in- 
dications that the British commander was preparing for 
a regular siege, general Ripley availed himself of the 
time thus lost by the enemy, in opening his trenches, and 
earned on his defensive arrangements with unceasing 
alacrity. 

The approach of the British army on the 2d of August, 
being discovered by major Morgan, of the 1st riflemen, 
to whom, with a detachment of 240 men, the defence of 
the village of Buifaloe, which had regained its former 
flourishing condition, was entrusted, he suspected the 
enemy of making a feint upon fort Erie, with a view to 
an actual attack upon Buftaloe. To defeat any such ob- 
ject, he immediately took a position on the upper side of 
Conejockeda creek, cut away the bridge crossing it, and 
threw up a breastwork of logs in the course of the night. 
Though the British general liad no intention of making 
a feint, major Morgan's precautions, in anticipation of an 
attack, M^ere not uselessly .adopted ; for, early in the 
morning of the 3d, a detachment of the enemy's 41st regi- 
ment, under lieutenant colonel Tucker, crossed the Nia- 
gara in nine boats, and landed about half a mile below 
the creek. At the approach of day, the British colonel 
commenced an attack upon the detachment, and sent for- 
ward a party to repair the bridge, under cover of his fire. 
Major Morgan did not attempt to retard the enemy's ad- 
vances, until he was within rifle distance, when he opened 
a fire, which proved so destructive, that lieutenant co- 
lonel Tucker fell back to the skirt of a neighbouring 
wood, and kept up the contest at long shot. In the mean 
time, general Drummond threw over reinforcements, and 
the British detachment now amounted to nearly 1200 
men. With this force colonel Tucker attempted to flank 
his antagonist, by despatching his left wing to fom the 
creek above, and press down upon the opposite side : 
this movement being observed, major Morgan sent for- 
ward lieutenants Ryan, Smith and Armstrong, to oppose 



OF THE LATE WAR. 305 

the fording party. Between these detachments, an en- 
gagement took place^ a short distance above the breast- 
work, and after several heavy discharges, the enemy fell 
back to his main body, with considerable loss. Lieute- 
nant colonel Tucker, finding that the object of his expe- 
dition against Biiftaloe (the recapture of general Riall^ 
and the destruction of the public stores there) could not 
be achieved without an immense loss; and knowing the 
desire of lieutenant general Drummond, to augment, ra- 
ther than decrease, the force destined for the siege of the 
fort, on the opposite shore, he determined on abandoning 
the enterprise, and drawing off his troops to Squaw island, 
and returned thence to the Canadian shore. With so small 
a force, major Morgan could not attempt to annoy him, in 
his retreat. He is supposed to have lost a considerable 
number of men, many dead bodies being found in the 
creek, and upon the field, and six prisoners being taken 
by the detachment. In this gallant little affair, captain 
Hamilton, and lieutenants Wads worth and M'Intosh, of" 
the riflemen, and five privates, were wounded, and two 
privates killed. 

By the 7th of August, most of the batteries and tra- 
verses about fort Erie, were completed. Upon a battery 
upwards of 20 feet high, and situated at Snake Hill, the 
southern extremity of the works, five guns were mount- 
ed, and the command given to major Towson, of the ar- 
tillery. Two other batteries between Towson's and the 
main works, one mounting three guns, under captain Bid- 
die, and the other two guns, under lieutenant Fontaine, 
were also completed. Tne northern point of the fort had 
been extended to the water, and the Douglass battery, of 
two guns, erected on the bank. The dragoons, infantry, 
riflemen, and volunteers, were encamped between the 
western ramparts and the water, and the artillery under 
major Hindman, stationed within the main works. 

Whilst these preparations were making, several partial 
cannonades took place, without any known eftect on either 
side: before any regular firing was commenced, brigadier 
general Gaines arrived at the fort, and assumed the com- 
mand of the army. General Ripley then returned to the 
command of his brigade. The British army was now 
strongly posted behind their works, and general Gaines 
determined to ascertain their strength, and endeavour, if 

Cc2 



306 HISTORICAIi SKETCHES 

possible, to draw them out. On the 6th, he sent the rifle 
corps, with major Morgan, who had been previously trans- 
ferred from the American shore, to pass through the woods, 
intervening between the British lines and the fort, and 
with orders to amuse the enemy's light troops, until his 
columns should indicate an intention to move; in that 
event, major Morgan was to retire gi-adually, until his 
corps should have fallen back, upon a strong line posted 
in the plain before the fort, to receive the pursuing British 
troops. The object of this movement failed — major Mor- 
gan having encountered and forced the enemy's light 
troops into the lines, with the loss of eleven killed and 
three wounded and made prisoners; but, notwithstanding, 
he maintained his position upwards of two hours, he could 
not succeed in drawing forth the main body of the British 
troops. He therefore returned to the fort, after losing five 
men killed and four wounded. By the 10th, the enemy's 
line was protected by several block-houses, and a long 
wooden breastwork. To examine these works, captain 
Birdsall, of the 4th rifle regiment, was sent out with a 
detachment of the 1st, and his own company, amounting 
in all to 160 men. After some skirmishing, he succeeded 
in beating in two of their picquet guards, with a loss on 
their side of ten men killed ; and one killed and three 
■wounded of the riflemen. On the 12th, a working party 
of the enemy, supported by a guard of his light troops, 
was discovered to be opening an avenue, for the construc- 
tion of an additional battery, from which, to annoy the 
rear of the fort. Agreeably to the orders of general Gaines, 
major Morgan detached about 100 men, under captain 
Birdsall, to cut them off: that officer immediately assailed 
the guard, and, after a smart contest, drove in both it and 
the working party. In the event of the enemy's guard 
being reinforced h'om their lines, major Morgan had been 
also ordered to hold his corps in readiness to support cap- 
tain Birdsall; and as a large body of the enemy was ob- 
served to be approaching upon the detachment, the major 
promptly moved forward and engaged it. A warm and 
spirited conflict followed, in which several men were kill- 
ed on both sides. At length, however, an additional party 
of the enemy coming up to the aid of that engaged, major 
Morgan ordered his corps to retire, and had scarcely given 
a signal to that effect, when he received a musket ball in 



OF THE T.ATE WAK. 307 

his head, which for ever deprived the garrison, and his 
country, of his valuable services. The corps was con« 
ducted to the fort by captain Birdsall, and the body of its 
brave and lamented commander, interred at Buffaloe, with 
the proper honours and solemnities. 

During these repeated skirmishes, and in the intervals 
between the sorties of detachments, the besiegers, and the 
besieged were diligently engaged in strengtnening their 
respective works; and from the 7th until the 14th of the 
month, an almost unceasing fire was kept up between 
them with various effect. On the night of the 14th, the 
emotion and tumult in the British encampment, gave cer- 
tain indications of an intended attack upon the fort.— 
General Ripley, always on the alert, was among the first 
to discover these indications, and having first ordered his 
brigade, stationed to the left, to be formed within the line 
of defence, he despatched his aid, lieutenant Kirby, to 
inform general Gaines, of his conviction of the enemy's 
contemplation. General Gaines was himself already per- 
suaded, that an attempt would very soon be made to storm 
the garrison; and lieutenant Kirby had no sooner deliver- 
ed his message at head quarters, than the firing of a picquet, 
commanded by lieutenant Belknap, of the infantry, as- 
sured him that the moment had arrived. Dispositions 
were immediately made to receive the assault, and the 
troops of the garrison anticipated its result with pride and 
enthusiasm. 

Lieutenant general Drummond, having appointed the 
morning of' the 15th, for a vigorous and sudden assault 
upon the fort, had previously arranged the order of attack 
in three columns, to be made at three distinct points, with 
a view to harass and distract the garrison. His right co- 
lumn, under lieutenant colonel Fjscher, of the 8th, and 
composed of parts of the 89th and 100th regiments; De 
"Watteville's detachments from the royal artillery with 
rocketeers ; and a picquet of cavalry ; was to make a de- 
tour of three miles thiough the woods, and to assault the 
southern extremity of the works. His centre column, un- 
der lieutenant colonel Drummond, of the 104th, and com- 
posed of detachments from that, and tlie 41st regiment 
of infantry, of the royal artillery, seamen and marines, 
-was to be conducted by captain Barney, of the 29th, to 



508 HISTORICAIi SKETCHES 

the attack of the fort. The left column, under colonel 
Scott, of the 103d, and composed of that regiment, was 
to be led by captain Elliot, to penetrate the openings in 
the works between the fort and the lake, and to scale the 
battery upon the bank. In advance of lieutenant Fischer's 
column, the British picquets on Buck's road, together with 
the Indians of the encampment, were to be pushed on, by 
lieutenant colonel Nichols, to drive in the American out- 
posts. The royals; another part of De Watteville's regi- 
ment; the Glengarians ; and the incorporated militia, un- 
der lieutenant colonel Tucker, were to be held in reserve : 
and the 1 9th light dragoons, stationed in the ravine, in 
the rear of the fort, to receive and convey the prisoners 
to the encampment ; a duty which it did not fall to their 
lot to perform. 

General Gaines, not knowing at what points the assault 
would be made, prepared to receive it at all those which 
he suspected the enemy might judge to be assailable. 
The command of the fort and bastions was given to cap- 
tain Alexander Williams, of the artillery, which, with the 
battery on the margin of the lake, under lieutenant Dou- 
glass, of the engineers, and thence called the Douglass 
battery, formed the northeast and southeast angle of the 
works. In a block-house, near the salient bastion, a de- 
tachment of the 19th infantry, was stationed, under major 
Trimble. The batteries in front, under captains Biddle 
and Fanning, were supported by general Porter's volun- 
teers, and the corps of riflemen. The whole body of ar- 
tillery, distributed throughout the garrison, was command- 
ed by major Hindman. The first brigade of infantry, 
under lieutenant colonel Aspinwall, was posted on the 
right; and general Ripley's brigade supported Towson's 
battery, and the line upon the left. On tlie evening of the 
14th, a few hours before the commencement of the assault, 
and whilst these dispositions were making to repel it, one 
of the enemy's shells fell into a small magazine within 
the American works, and produced an awful explosion. 
From one end of the British line to the other, a loud shout 
was in consequence uttered, but as no bad effects followed 
the explosion, the shout was repeated in the fort, and in 
the midst of the enemy's exultation, captain Williams 
immediately discharged all his heavy pieces. 



OF THE LATE WAR. 309 

At half an hoqr after two, on the morning of the 15th, 
though the darkness was excessive, the approach of lieu- 
tenant colonel Fischer with the ri^ht column, 1300 strong, 
was distinctly heard on the left of the garrison. The 2d 
brigade, the command of the 21st regiment having been 
given to lietvtenant colonel Wood, ot the engineers, and 
the artillery of Towson's battery were prepared to re- 
ceive him. Marching promptly forward, lieutenant co- 
lonel Fischer assailed the battery with scaling ladders, 
and the line toward the lake with the bayonet. He was 
permitted to come close up to the works, when the 21st 
and 23d regiments, and the artillery upon the battery, 
opened a sudden and tremendous fire, which threw his 
whole column into confusion, rendered iiim utterly unable 
to sustain the contest, and prevented his making an im- 
pression upon the works. Having retired some distance 
to re-organize his column, he immediately made new 
arrangements for, and varied the sliape of his next attack, 
so as to avoid those points, from which the greatest mea- 
sure of destruction had been dealt out to hnn. Accord- 
ing to the general plan, however, which it was incumbent 
on him to pursue, it was necessary that the battery should 
be carried ; but, with the means to effect this object, he 
was badly provided. — With scaling ladders, of no more 
than 16 feet in length, he could not possibly throw his 
troops upon a battery, of about 25 feet high, and his se- 
cond attempt, equally furious as the first, met with no 
greater success. He was again repulsed, and with con- 
siderable loss. Convinced of his inability to get posses- 
sion of the battery, and feeling the deadly effects of the 
incessant showers of grape, which were thrown upon him, 
he determined, in his next effort, to pass the point of the 
abattis, by wading breast deep into the lake, to which the 
works were open. In this attempt also, he was unsuc- 
cessful, nearly 200 of his men being either killed or 
drowned, and the remainder precipitately falling back. 
Without waiting to know the result of the attack, upon 
the right of the works, which had been already made 
by the second and third column, he ordered a retreat to 
the British encampment, which he did not effect, without 
the loss of many of his rear guard, taken prisoners, in a 
sally made from the works, by the order of general 
Ripley. 



310 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

The attack from the centre and left column, the first 
of 700, and the second of 800 men, was reserved until 
the contest became very animated between lieutenant 
colonel Fischer's column, and the troops upon tlie left. 
From the line of defences, between the Douglass batte- 
ry and the fort, and from those in front of the garrison, 
lieutenant general Drummond supposed reinforcements 
would be drawn to the aid of the southern extremity of 
the works, and with this view he had given greater 
strength to his right, than to his other columns, and in- 
tended to avail himself of the consequent weakened state, 
of the north, and south-east angles of the American post. 
The picquets being driven in, the approach of lieutenant 
colonel Drummond was heard from the ravine, and co- 
lonel Scott's column at the same time advanced along 
the margin of the water. From the salient bastion of the 
fort, captain Williams immediately opened liis fire upon 
the centre column—whilst the approach of colonel Scott 
was attempted to be checked by the Douglass battery, 
and captains Boughton and Harding's New York and 
Pennsylvania volunteers, on its right; the 9th infantry, 
under captain Foster, on its left; and a 6-pounder plant- 
ed at tliat point, under the management of colonel M'Ree. 
At 50 yards distance from the line, the enemy's left co- 
lumn made a momentary pause, and instantly recoiled 
from the fire of the cannon and musketry. But the 
centre column, having advanced upon every assailable 
point of the fort, in defiance of the rapid and heavy dis- 
charges of the artillery, and having ascended the parapet, 
by means of a large number of scaling ladders, its offi- 
cers called out to the line, extending to the lake, to desist 
firing — an artifice which succeeded so well, that the 
Douglass battery, and the infantry, supposing the order 
to proceed from the garrison suspended their fire, until 
the deception was discovered. The left column, in the 
mean time, recovered from its confusion, and was led 
up to a second charge, from which it was again repulsed, 
before it had an opportunity of planting the scaling lad- 
ders, and with the loss of its commander, and upwards 
of one-third of its men. 

Whilst the second attempt was in operation, the centre 
column was with great difficulty, thrown back from the 
salient bastion; and the troops within the foit, were 



OF THE LATE WAR. ^ 311 

quickly reinforced from general Ripley's brigade, and ge- 
neral Porter's volunteers. But lieutenant colonel Drum- 
mond, actuated by a determination (not to be overcome 
by a single repulse) to force an entrance into the garri- 
son, and momentarily expecting the reserve to be order- 
ed up by the lieutenant general, returned to the assault a 
second and a third time. By the gallant eftbrts, how- 
ever, of major Hindman and his artillery, and the infan- 
try detachment of major Trimble, he was, each time, more 
signally repulsed than before; and colonel Scott's column 
having withdrawn from the action, upon the fall of its 
leader, lieutenant Douglass was busily engaged in giving 
such a direction to the guns of his battery, as to cut on 
the communication between Drummond's column, and the 
reserve of lieutenant colonel Tucker. 

The new bastions which had been commenced for the 
enlargement of the old fort Erie, not being yet completed, 
the only opposition which could be given to the enemy's 
approaches upon those points was by means of small 
arms. The batteries of captain Biddle and captain Fan- 
ning (formerly Fontaine's) in the works intervening be- 
tween Towson's battery and the fort, were therefore open-r 
ed upon the enemy with great vivacity, and his advances 
from the plain, frequently checked by those gallant and 
meritorious officers. 

After this third repulse, lieutenant colonel Drummond, 
taking advantage of the darkness of the morning, and of 
the heavy columns of smoke, which concealed all objects 
from the view of the garrison, moved his troops silently 
round the ditch, repeated his charge, and reascended his 
ladders with such velocity, as to gain footing on the para- 
pet, before any eifectual opposition could be made. Being 
in the very midst of his men, he directed them to charge 
vigorously with their pikes and bayonets, and to show no 
quarters to any yielding soldier of the garrison.* This 
order was executed with the utmost rapidity and the 
most obstinate previous parts of the engagement, formed 
! no kind of parallel to the violence and desperation of the 
present conflict. 

* General Gaines, in his official letter, speaking- of lieutenant 
colonel Drummond, observes, " The order of * Give the Yank-ies 
no quarter j' was often reiterated by this officer, whose bravery, if 
it had been seasoned with virtue, would have entitled him to the 
admiration of every soldier.** 



312 HISTORICAIi SKETCHES 

Captain Williams, and lieutenants M'Donough and 
Watmough of the artillery, being in the most conspi- 
cuous situations, were personally engaged with the assail- 
ants, and were all severely wounded — the first, captain 
Williams, mortally.* Not all the efforts of major Hind- 
man and his command, nor major Trimble's infantry, nor 
a detachment of riflemen under captain Birdsall,who had 
posted himself in the ravelin, opposite the gateway of the 
fort, could dislodge the determined and intrepid enemy 
from the bastion; though the deadly effect of their fire 
prevented his approaches beyond it. It was now in his 
entire possession. About this time, lieutenant M'Do- 
nough's wounds, rendered him almost incapable of fur- 
ther resistance, and he demanded quarter from the ene- 
my, but lieutenant colonel Drummond personally refused 
it, and repeated his instructions to his troops, to deny it, 
in all instances. The shocking inhumanity of this order 
roused the exhausted spirit of the lieutenant, and seizing 
a handspike, he defended himself against a numerous par- 
ty of the assailants, until he received a pistol shot dis- 
charged at him by the hand of their commander. Lieu- 
tenant colonel Drummond survived this act but a few 
moments — the fall of M'Donough being avenged by a per- 
son standing near him, who immediately shot the colonel 
through the breast. 

The loss of their leader did not check the impetuosity 
of the enemy's troops, and they continued the use of 
their pikes and small arms until the day broke, and re- 
pulsed several furious charges made upon them by de- 

* This amiable young officer was the son of colonel Jonathan 
"WiUiams, who had long- been at the head of the United States' 
engineer department; to whom the nation is greatly indebted 
for the construction of many of the principal fortifications ; and 
who was a member elect of the fourteenth congress, from the 
city of Philadelphia. The captain was also formerly of the engi- 
neer corps, but having been transferred to the artillery, and be- 
ing anxious to share in the honours and the perils of the campaign 
of 1814, he solicited to be sent to the Niagara frontier, and re- 
ceived an order to repair thither, from fort Mifflin, a garrison 
which, for several months, he had commanded with reputation. 
Early in the spring of that year, though in a state of convales- 
cence from a dangerous fever, he proceeded to the lines, and 
joined the army of general Brown, in which no officer was more 
universally esteemed. 



or THE LATE WAR. 3 IS 

tachments of the garrison. Tlie approach of daylight 
enabled both parties to give a more certain direction to 
their fire. The artillerists had already severely suffered; 
but with those that remained, and a reinforcing detach- 
ment of infantry, major Hindman renewed his attempts 
to drive the British 41st and 104th from the bastion. 
Captain Birdsall, at the same moment, drawing out his 
riflemen from the ravelin, rushed through the gateway 
into the fort, and joining in the charge, received an ac- 
cidental wound from one of his own men, just as the at- 
tack failed. Detachments from the 1st brigade, under 
captain Foster, w^ere then introduced over the interior 
bastion, to the assistance of major Hindman ; these de- 
tachments were to charge at a different point of the sa- 
lient, or exterior bastion, and were handsomely led on by 
captain Foster, and the assistant inspector general, major 
Hall. This charge also failed; the passage up the bas- 
tion not being wide enough to admit more than 3 men 
abreast. It was frequently, however, repeated, and 
though it sometimes occasioned much slaughter among 
the enemy's infantry, was invariably repulsed. By the 
operations of the artillery, from a demi-bastion in the fort, 
and the continual blaze of fire from the small arms, added 
to the effects of the repeated charges, the enemy's co- 
lumn, being considerably cut up, and many of its prin- 
cipal officers wounded, began to recoil ; which, being 
observed by the besieged party, and the contest having 
entirely subsided on the left Hank of the works, rein- 
forcements were brought up from that point, and many 
of the enemy's troops, in a few moments, thrown from 
the bastion. 

The British reserve was now expected to come up: 
the guns at the Douglass battery had by this time been 
turned so as to enfilade that column in its approach; cap- 
tain Fanning v/as already playing upon the enemy with 
great effect; and captain Biddle was ordered to post a 
piece of artillery, so as to enfilade the salient glacis. — 
This piece was served with uncommon vivacity, notwith- 
standing captain Biddle had been severely wounded in the 
shoulder. All these preparations being made for an ef- 
fectual operation upon the enemy's remaining column, 
and from the dreadful carnage whicii had already taken 
place, it was scarcely supposed that he would continue 

Dd 



314 IIISTOllICAL SKETCHES 

the assault much longer. But 3 or 400 men of the re- 
serve were about to rush upon the parapet to the assist- 
ance of those recoiling, when a tremendous and dreadful 
explosion took place, under the platform, which carried 
away the bastion, and all who happened to be upon it.* 
The enemy's reserve immediately fell back, and in a 
short time the contest terminated in the entire defeat of 
the assailants, Vv^ho returned with the shattered columns 
to tlieij' encampment. 

On retiring from the assault, according to the report of 
general Gaines, the British army left upon the field 222 
killed, among whom were 14 officers of distinction; 174 
wounded; and 186 prisoners; making a total of 582. 
Otheis who were slightly wounded had been carried to 
their works. 

The official account of lieutenant general Drummond 
does not acknowledge so large a number in killed, but 
makes the aggregate loss much greater. His adjutant ge- 
neral reported, 57 killed; 309 wounded; and 539 mis- 
sing — in all 905. 

The American loss amounted to 17 killed; 56 wound- 
ed; and 1 lieutenant (Fontaine) who was thrown over the 
parapet, while defending the bastion, and 10 privates, pri- 
soners — in all 84 men; making a difference in their fa- 

* This explosion, to which alone, the enemy attributed the fai- 
lure of liis arms, notwithstanding- the sig'nal repulse of his right 
and left columns, has been variously accounted for. It was oc- 
casioned by the communication of a spark to an ammunition 
chest, placed under the platform of the bastion, but by w'hat 
means, the narrator of this event has not been able, after an in- 
vestig-ation of many papers, written to him upon the subject, to 
ascei-tain. It is to be reg'retted, that a fact constituting- so im- 
portant a feature in this memorable defence, should never have 
been satisfactorily developed. Several letters from officers, en- 
gag-ed at the right flank of the American works, state it to have 
been the result of entire accident; whilst others relate, that lieu- 
tenant M'Donoug-h, not having- been immediately removed from 
the foot of the bastion, ou which he had been twice wounded, 
and being- hig-hly exasperated at the determination, which he saw 
in the conduct of the enemy's troops, to shew no mercy to the 
vanquished soldier, resolved upon devoting- himself to stop the 
progress of their inhuman career, and to this end threw aUghted 
match into the chest of ammunition, and by its immediate explo- 
sion, produced those tremendous effects, which restored the 
bastion to the Americans, and terminated the conflict. 



OF THE LATE WAR. 315 

vour of 821. During the cannonade and bombardment 
wliich commenced on the 13th, and continued until an 
hour before the assault on the morning of the 15th, 45 
men of the American garrison were killed and wounded. 
Captain Biddle, lieutenant Zantzinger, and adjutant lieu- 
tenant Watmough, of the artillery, and lieutenant Patter- 
son, of the 19th infantry, among the latter. 

Anight or two before the attack upon fort Erie, the 
British g-eneral furnished captain Dobbs, of the royal na- 
vy, with a sufficient number of troops to man 9 large 
boats, which were completely fitted to attack the 3 
schooners, the Somers, Porcupine, and Ohio, then lying 
at anchor oft* the fort. The Porcupine succeeded in beat- 
ing them off, but the Somers and Ohio were carried, after 
a gallant resistance, in which the enemy lost 2 seamen^ 
killed, and 4 wounded; and the schooners, 1 seaman 
killed, and 3 officers and 4 seamen wounded. Tlie cap- 
tured schooners were taken down the Niagara, and an- 
chored near Frenchman's creek; the Porcupine immedi- 
ately after sailed for the town of Erie. 

In consequence of his immense losses in the assault, 
the enemy's force was reduced almost to the number of 
the troops within the garrison ; and until he was again 
reinforced, he did not think proper to carry on his opera- 
tions. A fe\v days brought him a reinforcement of two 
full regiments, and having enlarged his batteries, and 
made arrangements to. force the Americans to the evacu- 
ation of fort Erie, he opened a fire from his whole line, 
and threw in hot shot, shells, and every destructive im- 
plement within his reach, without intermission, during 
the remainder of the month of August. On the 28th, ge- 
neral Gaines was severely wounded in several parts of 
his body by a shell which fell through the roof of his 
quarters, and exploded at his feet. He was fortunate 
enough to escape suffijcation, by gaining the door of the 
apartment; but being entirely disabled, he retired to Buf- 
faloe, and left the command again in the hands of gene- 
ral Ripley, who neglected no means to facilitate the 
completion of the works, which with the assistance of 
the engineers, he had originally planned. 



316 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 



CHAPTER XX, 



Invasion of the American territory by sir George Prevost 
-—Battle of the Saranac — Defeat and capture of the 
British fleet on Lake Champlain — Plattshurg evacu- 
ated — Continuation of the siege of Fort Erie — 2Vie be- 
sieged make a sortie from their works, and storm those 
of the besiegers'- — The British raise the siege, and re- 
tire to the Chippewa — Engagement at Lyon's Creek 

, —Destruction of Fort Erie by the Americans, and 
evacuation of Upper Canada — Operations against 
Michilimackinac — Loss of the U. S. vessels Scorpion 
and Tigress — Expedition into Canada, under general 
M'Arthur. . 

The operations against the enemy's positions along 
the Niagara, had scarcely been entered upon, when the 
governor general, sir George Prevost, matured the plan 
of the expedition, having for its object the invasion of the 
American territory, from Lower Canada; the defeat and 
destruction of the right division of the United States' 
army then lying in the neighbourhood of Plattsburg, un- 
der major general Izard ; and the subjugation of the coun- 
try to Crown Point and Ticonderoga. No offensive mea-r 
sures against any part of Lower Canada, by this army, 
being at that time in contemplation, and the apprehen- 
sions of the war department having been strongly excited 
about the safety of the left division, after its investment 
at fort Erie, general Izard received orders to march for 
that post, with a reinforcement of the largest proportion 
of his troops, and to assume the command of the garri- 
son. Accordingly, after detaching about 1500 men, un- 
der brigadier general Macomb, most of whom were either 
sick or convalescent, and requiring of general Mooers, of 
the New York militia, the aid of a fev/ volunteer compa- 
nies, for the defence of Plattsburg, he marched for Sack- 
et's Harbour, with upwards of 3000 men. Being thus 
left in command of a position, open to the attacks of the 



OF THE LATE WAR. 3lt 

enemy's naval, as well as his land forces, general Macomb 
neglected no precaution to prevent surprise, and to put 
his small army in the best state of discipline, though on 
the 1st of September, in consequence of the best bri- 
gades having been broken up, to form general Izard's 
division, he had but one battalion properly organized. — 
The works erecting were on that day unfinished, and the 
troops, therefore, divided into detachments to complete 
them. 

Transports, with troops, had been continually arriving 
at Quebec, from England, and such was the secrecy and 
address, with which sir George Prevost made preparations 
for his intended expedition, that, before the 1st of Sep- 
tember, he had organized a powerful army of 14,000 men 
opposite Montreal, constituted of the most experienced 
generals, and distinguished officers of the British army. 
This comparatively immense force consisted of three bri- 
gades and a corps of reserve, the brigades "being divided 
into twenty-four divisions, and having a staff composed of 
two lieutenants general, five majors general, and a propor- 
tionate number of assistants and deputies. The respective 
brigades were commandc^d by majoi-s general, Robertson, 
Powers, Brisbane, and Baynes (adjutant general). Major 
general Kempt commanded the reserve. Sir Sidney Beck- 
with was quarter master general to this army, and lieute- 
nant general De Rottenburg, the second in command — sir 
George Prevost commanding in person. 

About the first of the month, he occupied with these 
troop ^ the village of Champlain, and issued addresses 
and proclamations, inviting the citizens to his standard, 
and promi"sing them the protection of his majesty's go- 
vernment. From Champlain he continued to make gra- 
dual approaches towards Plattsburg, until the 6th. Early 
on the morning of that day, he made a rapid advance in 
two columns, one coming down the Beckmantown road, 
and the other along the Lake road. At a bridge crossing 
Dead creek, intersecting the latter, general Macomb had 
stationed a detachment of 200 men, under captain Sproul, 
of the ISth, to abattis the woods, and to place obstruc- 
tions in the road; after which, he was to fortify himself 
with two field pieces, sent with him for that purpose, and 
to receive orders from lieutenant colonel Appling, who 
with 100 riflemen, was reconnoitring the enemy's move- 

Dd 2 



318 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

ments some distance in advance of this position. The 
brigade of general Brisbane, which approached through 
the Beckmantown road with more rapidity than the other, 
was met by about 700 militia, under general Mooers, who, 
after a slight skirmish with the enemy's light parties, with 
the exception of one or two companies, fled in the great- 
est disorder. Those who were intrepid enough to re- 
main, were immediately formed with a corps of 250 regu- 
lars, under major Wooll, of the 29th, and disputed the 
passage of the road for some time. But their fears also 
getting at length the better of their judgment, notwith- 
standing the enemy fired only from his flankers and pa- 
trolling parties, they followed the example of their com- 
rades, and precipitately retired to the village. Major 
WooU's regulars remained firm however, and being join- 
ed by captain L. Leonard's park of flying artillery, and 
the 6th, and a detachment of the 34th regiment, continued 
to annoy the advancing parties of the British column, and 
killed lieutenant colonel Wellington, of the Sd, or Bufts, 
who was at its head. 

General Macomb, at this moment, personally direct- 
ing the movements in the town, soon saw that the ene- 
my's object, in making so much more rapid a march on 
its west, than on its north, was to cut oft" lieutenant co- 
lonel Appling and captain Sproul's detachments, des- 
patched his aid, lieutenant Root, with orders to those offi- 
cers to withdraw tlieir forces from Dead creek, to join 
the detachment of major Wooll, and to fall upon the ene- 
my's right flank. Whilst lieutenant colonel Appli. g was 
proceeding in obedience to this order, he was encoun- 
tered, on the north side of the town, by the light divisions 
of the enemy's 1st brigade, sent for the purpose of cutting 
him off*, and which had that moment emerged from the 
woods. Their numbers were superior, and had he been 
delayed an instant longer on the Lake road, he must in- 
evitably have yielded. Here he engaged, but after a short 
contest, retired before them. In the centre of the town 
he re-engaged them, and being joined by major Wooll, 
was ordered to retire to the American works, on the south 
"iide of the Saranac. 

The retreat was eff*ected in good order, and covered 
by a ^uard of 120 men, under captain M'Glassin, of the 
i5th infantry; the detachments alternately retiring and 



Oi THE LATE WAR. 319 

keeping up a brisk and effectual fire upon the British co- 
lumns. Having reached the works with a- trifling loss, 
general Macomb ordered lieutenant Harrison, pf the 13th, 
under the direction of major Wool), and protected by 
captain Leonard's artillery, to destroy the bridge over the 
Saranac. 

This order was not executed without some difficulty. 
The British having occupied the houses near the bridge, 
with their light troops, kept up a constant fire from the 
windows, and wounded lieutenants Harrison and Turner, 
of the 13th, and Taylor of the 34th. These troops were, 
however, soon after dislodged by a discharge of hot shot 
from the American works, and in conjunction with the 
right column, were engaged the remainder of the day in 
various attempts to drive the guards from the several 
bridges. — But the planks had all been taken up, and be- 
ing placed in the form of breastworks, served to cover the 
American light parties stationed for the defence of the 
passages. The obstructions which had been thrown in 
the way of the column advancing by the Lake road, and 
the destruction of the bridge over Dead creek, greatly 
impeded its approaches, and, in attempting to ford the 
creek, it received a severe and destructive fire, from the 
gun boats and gallies anchored in front of the town. — 
But not all the gallies, aided by the armament of the 
whole flotilla, which then lay opposite Plattsburg, under 
commodore Macdonough, could have prevented the cap- 
ture of Macomb's army, after its passage of the Saranac, 
had sir George Prevost' pushed his whole force upon the 
margin of that stream. Like general Drummond, at Erie, 
he made a pause, in full view of the unfinished works of 
the Americans, and consumed five days in erecting bat- 
teries, and throwing up breastworks, for the protection of 
his approached. Of tliis interval, the American general 
did not fail to avail himself, and kept his troops constant- 
ly employed in finishing his line of redoubts. Whilst 
both parties were thus engaged in providing for the pro- 
tection of their forces, the main body of the British array 
came up with the advance; and general Macomb was 
also reinforced by the militia of New York, and the vo- 
lunteers fiom the mountains of Vermont. Skirmishes 
between light detachments, sallies from the different 
works, and frequent attempts to restore the bridges, served 



820 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

to amuse the besiegers and the besieged, while the for- 
mer were getting up a train of battering cannon, and the 
latter strer^thening their lines, and preparing to repel the 
attack. In one of these skirmishes, on the 7th, a British 
detachment making a violent effort to obtain possession 
of tlie pass of a bridge, was handsomely repulsed by a 
small guard under lieutenant Runk, of the 6th infantry, 
who received a musket ball in his body and expired on 
the following day. He was the only officer killed during 
the siege. 

The New York militia and Vermont volunteers, were 
now principally stationed at the different bridges crossing 
the Saranac, or in tlie wood opposite the fording places. 
From these positions they annoyed the enemy's guards, 
and poured repeated discharges of musketry into his 
masked batteries. 

Two of general Macomb's new works were called fort 
Brown, and fort Scott, and opposite the former it was 
suspected, a very powerful masked battery had been 
constructed, in order suddenly to demolish it at a time of 
general attack. To discover the truth of his suspicion, 
and if possible to destroy or mutilate such a work, cap- 
tain M'Glassin, on the night of the 9th, volunteered his 
services, to ford the river with a competent detachment. 
His enterprise was approved by the general, who as- 
signed him the command of 50 men. — With these the 
captain succeeded in fording the river nearly under fort 
Brown, and upon gaining the opposite shore, proceeded 
with great secrecy about 300 yards. At this distance, 
from the margin of the river, he encountered a guard of 
150 men, whom he instantly engaged, and with such vi- 
gour and address as to deceive them, with respect to his 
own force, and after a short contest to drive them behind 
a work, which he discovered to be the suspected masked 
battery. Having succeeded in the accomplishment of one 
of the objects of his enterprise, neither captain M*Glas- 
sin, nor his brave detachment, could think of returning 
to the army, without having signalized the expedition by 
some act more important in its consequences, than the 
putting to flight an enemy's guard, however superior in 
numbers. He accordingly led up his detachment to 
charge upon the work, into which the British guard had 
fied, and by one or two vigorous onsets, in which he had 



OF THE LATE WAR. 321 

but one man wounded, he carried the battery, and en- 
tirely routed its defenders, with the loss of their com- 
manding ofTicer and 16 men killed, and several wounded. 
Being now in possession of a work, which would have 
incalculably annoyed the batteries at fort Brown, captain . 
M'Glassin destroyed it with all possible haste, and re- 
turned to the American works. Math the loss of 3 men 
missing. For this galknt and hazardous essay, which 
had a tendency not only to deceive the British general 
with regard to the actual force of general Macomb's army, 
and to inspire the troops, militia as well as regulars, with 
a spirit of enterprise, but placed a principal work, fort 
Brown, beyond the possibility of being silenced, captain 
M'Glassin received the public thanks of his commanding 
officer, and the brevet rank of major from the president 
of the United States. 

On the morning of the lUh, the motives of the British 
genera.1, in delaying his assault upon the American works, 
became apparent. Being assured of his ability, at any 
time, to destroy them by a single eftort, he was regard- 
less of the manner in which they might be gradually 
strengthened, and awaited the arrival of the British squa- 
dron from lake Champlain, in co-operation with which, 
he contemplated a general attack, and the easy capture 
of the American fleet and army. On that day, his fleet, 
consisting of a large frigate, the Confiance, of 39 guns ; 
the brig Linnet, of 16; the sloops Chub and Finch (for- 
merly the United States' sloops Growler and Eagle) of 11 
guns each ; and 13 gun boats and row gallies, mounting 
in all 95 guns, and having a complement of 1050 men, 
made its appearance, under captain Downie, round Cum- 
berland Head, and immediately engaged the American 
squadron, under commodore Macdonough, then moored 
in Plattsburg bay, and consisting of the ship Saratoga; 
the brig Eagle; the schooner Ticonderoga; the sloop 
Preble; and 10 gun boats, mounting altogether 86 guns, 
(the largest vessel carrying 26) and being manned with 
820 men. 

The first gun from the Confiance was the signal for a 
general action, and sir George Prevost instantly opened 
his batteries upon the works on the opposite bank of the 
Saranac. A tremendous cannonade ensued ; bomb shells 
and Con^reve rockets were thrown into the American 



322 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

lines during the whole day; and frequent, but ineffectual, 
attempts made to ford the river. At a bridge, about a 
mile up the river, an attempt to throw over a division of 
the enemy's army, was handsomely repulsed by a detach- 
,ment of regulars; and an effort to force the passage of the 
bridge in the town, was effectually checked by a party of 
riflemen, under captain Grosvenor. But the principal 
slaughter took place at a ford three miles from the works. 
There the enemy succeeded in crossing over three com- 
panies of the 76th regiment, before his advance was im- 
peded. A body of volunteers and militia, stationed in a 
contiguous wood, opened a heavy fire upon them, and 
after a spirited contest, in which one of these companies 
was entirely destroyed, its captain killed, and three lieu- 
tenants and 27 men made prisoners, those who had at- 
tained the shore, fell back in disorder upon an approach- 
ing column, then in the middle of the river. The receding 
and advancing columns mingled with each other, and be- 
ing closely pressed by the volunteers, the whole body was 
thrown into a state of confusion, from which the officers 
could not recover them; numbers were killed in the stream, 
and the dead and wounded being swept along by the force 
of the current, sunk into one common grave. 

But the result of the engagement between the two na- , 
val armaments, which continued upwards of two hours, in 
presence of the contending armies, soon determined the 
action upon land. Its. eft'ects were sensibly felt by the 
British general, whose plans were completely frustrated 
by its issue. After getting round Cumberland Head, 
captain Downie anchored his fleet within 300 yards of the 
line formed by commodore Macdonough, and placing the 
Confiance frigate in opposition to the Saratoga; the Lin- 
net to the Eagle, captain Henley; one of his sloops and all 
his gal lies, to the schooner Ticonderoga, lieutenant com- 
mandant Cassin, and the sloop Preble ; his other sloop al- 
ternately attacking the Saratoga and Eagle. The latter 
vessel was so situated, shortly after the commencement 
of the action, tliat her guns could not be brought to bear, 
and captain Henly cut her cable, and placed her between 
the commodore's ship and the Ticonderoga, from which 
situation, though she exposed the Saratoga to a galling 
fire, she annoyed the enemy's squadron with much ef- 
fect. Some minutes after 10 o'clock, nearly all the guns 



OF THE LATE WAK. 323 

on the starboard side of the Saratoga beinff either dis- 
mounted or entirely unmanageable, commodore Macdo- 
nough was obliged to put out a stern anchor, and to cut 
tlie bower cable, by which means the »Saratoga winded on 
the enemy's frigate with a fresh broadside, which being 
promptly delivered, the Confiance immediately after sur- 
rendered, with 105 round sliot in her hull, and her captain 
and 49 men killed, and 60 wounded. The Saratoga had 
55 round shot in her hull, and had been twice set on fire 
by hot shot from the Confiance, but she sustained a loss 
of only 28 in killed, and 29 wounded, notwithstanding she 
mounted 13 guns less than her antagonist. The Con- 
fiance had no sooner surrendered, than the Saratoga's 
broadside was sprung to bear upon the brig, whose llag 
struck 15 minutes after. Captain Henley, in the Eagle, 
had already captured one of the enemy's sloops; and the 
Ticonderoga, after having sustained a galling fire, caused 
the surrender of the remaining vessel. The principal ves- 
sels of the British fleet being now all captured, and three 
of their row gal lies sunk, the remaining ten escaped from 
the bay in a shattered condition. 

Among the officers killed on board the Saratoga, was 
the 1st lieutenant, Gamble; and on board the Ticonde- 
roga, lieutenant John Stansbury (son of general Tobias 
Stansbury, of Maryland), who was shot upon mounting 
the netting, to discover in what manner the guns of his 
division might be brought to bear more effectually upon 
one of the enemy's vessels. Among the wounded were 
lieutenant Smith, acting lieutenant Spencer, and mid- 
shipman Baldwin. The total loss of commodore Macdo- 
nough's squadron amounted to, 52 men killed, and 58 
wounded. The enemy's loss was, 84 men killed, 110 
wounded, and 856 prisoners, who alone amounted to a 
greater number than those by whom they were taken. 

The capture of his fleet being announced to sir George 
Prevost, he immediately withdrew his forces fro^ji the 
assault of the American works. From his batteries, how- 
ever, he kept up a constant fire until the dusk of the 
evening, when, being silenced by the guns of fort Mo- 
reau, under colonel M. Smith, and of forts Brown and 
Scott, he retired within the town, and at 9 at night sent 
oflf his artillery, and all the baggage for which he could 



324 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

obtain transport. About midnight he made a disgraceful 
and precipitate retreat, leaving behind him all his sick 
and wounded, with a request that they might be gene- 
rously treated by general Macomb. At daybreak of the 
12th, this movement being discovered by that officer, he 
immediately despatched his light troops, and the volun- 
teers and militia, in pursuit. The enemy, however, had 
retired with such celerity, as to reach Chazy before the 
pursuit was commenced, and a violent storm prevent- 
ed its continuance. Immense quantities of provisions, 
bomb-shells, cannon balls, grape-shot, ammunition, flints, 
intrenching tools, tents and marquees, were taken, and 
upwards of 400 deserters surrendered themselves in the 
course of the day. Besides these, sir George lost 75 pri- 
soners, and, as nearly as could be ascertained, about 
1500 killed and wounded; among them several officers 
of rank. I'he loss of the American army, which, with 
the accession of the volunteers and militia, did not exceed 
2500 men, amounted to 37 killed, 62 wounded, and 20 
missing. 

For the gallantry which they displayed in this splendid 
engagement, general Macomb, lieutenant colonel Appling, 
majors Wooll, of the 29th, and Totten, of the engineers, 
whose services were eminently conspicuous in the con- 
struction of the works, and captain Brooks, of the artil- 
lery, received the brevet rank of the grades next above 
those which they held on the day of the action. Captain 
Young, of the 15th, had been put on board the squadron, 
with a detachment of infantry, to act as marines; and 
for his coolness and intrepidity, in a species of service 
distinct from that to which he was attached, was also 
bre vetted. Captain Grosvenor, of the infantry, and the 
brigade major, lieutenant Duncan, of the artillery, were 
conspicuous for their zeal and activity throughout the 
engagement; the latter was charged with the delivery of 
the despatches to the war department. Promotions took 
place also in the navy, and commodore Macdonough was 
immediately elevated to the rank of post captain. 

The investment of fort Erie was all this time continued ; 
the troops of the garrison were actively engaged in the 
completion of the bastions, and of the abattis on the right 
flank; and the besiegers employed in the erection of 
additional batteries, intended to enfilade the western ram- 



OF THE LATE AVAR. 625 

parts of the American works. General Brown had re- 
turned to the post, and resumed the command of the 
army, which had been in the meantime reinforced by 
new levies of militia. About the middle of September, 
after these arrangements v/ere completed, an attempt to 
dislodge the enemy from his intrenched works, and to 
deprive him of the means of annoying the garrison, was 
determined on. A sortie was planned, and the morning 
of the I7th appointed for its execution. Lieutenants 
Riddle and Frazer, of the 15th infantry, had already 
opened a road from the southern angle of the garrison, 
to a point within pistol siiot of the enemy's right wing, 
and with such secrecy, that it was not discovered until the 
actual assault commenced. About noon, the regulars, 
infantry, and riflemen, and the volunteers and militia, 
were in readiness to march; and before 2 o'clock, the 
sortie was made. The division issuing from the left, was 
commanded by general Porter, and composed of 200 
riflemen and a few Indians, under colonel Gibson, and 
two columns, the right commanded by lieutenant colonel 
Wood, and the left by brigadier general Davis, of the 
New York militia. These columns were conducted 
through the woods by lieutenants Riddle and Frazer, and 
approached upon the enemy's new battery, on his right, 
with such rapidity, as to surprise the brigadp stationed at 
his line. His batteries, Nos. 3 and 4, were gallantly 
stormed, and after 30 minutes close action, both carried. 
Colonel Gibson, and lieutenant colonel Wood, fell at the 
head of their columns, almost at the onset, and the re- 
spective commands devolved upon lieutenant colonel 
M'Donald and major Brooks. 

A block house in the rear of battery No. 3, was also 
carried, and its garrison made prisoners. Three 24- 
pounders and their carriages, were destroyed, and after 
the prisoners were secured, and the American columns 
moved beyond its influence, lieutenant Riddle descend- 
ed into the magazine, and first taking out a quantity of 
fixed ammunition, set fire to a train leading to several 
barrels of powder. The explosion took place much 
sooner than the lieutenant expected, and not being able 
to escape in time, he was covered with the combusti- 
bles and fragments of the magazine, from which he was 
extricated with the utmost difficulty. At the moment of 

E e 



326 HISTORICAI. SKETCHES 

this explosion, tlie right division of the troops which 
had been stationed in the ravine between the fort and 
the enemy's works, under general Miller, with orders 
not to attack until general Porter had engaged the ene- 
my's right flank, first came up to the assault, and in co- 
operation with colonel Gibson's column, pierced the Bri- 
tish intrenchments, between their batteries Nos. 2 and S, 
and after a severe contest, carried the former. In this 
assault, brigadier general Davis, of the New York militia, 
fell at the head of his corps. The enemy's second block- 
house, his batteries 2 and 3, and his unfinished battery 
No. 4, with the intervening breastworks and intrench- 
ments, being now all in the possession of the Americans, 
general Miller's division inclined towards the river, with 
a view to assail his battery No. 1 , erected at the extremi- 
ty of his left flank. At this point, the; enemy made a 
much bolder and more obstinate resistance. There, his 
defences were constructed with the most studied intrica- 
cy ; breastworks had been thrown up, connecting his first 
and second battery; successive lines of intrenchments 
intersected each other for nearly a hundred yards in their 
rear; and rows of abattis and timber, planted in multiplied 
involutions, formed impediments to the approach of the 
assailants, produced some confusion in the column, and 
made constant appeals to the bayonet necessary. Before 
general Millef attempted this movement upon the battery 
near the water, general Brown had ordered up general 
Ripley with the reserve, comprised of the 21st regiment, 
under lieutenant colonel Upham, and desired him, as the 
senior officer in advance, to ascertain the general situa- 
tion of the troops, and withdraw them from the ene- 
my's works, as soon as the object of the sortie, the de- 
struction of his batteries, was effected. The reserve, in 
obedience to this oider, promptly advanced to the sup- 
port of Miller's column, and came into the engagement 
as the enemy's force was strengthened from his en- 
campment. This column was composed of the 9th, 
the 11th, and part of the 19th infantry; the first being 
commanded by lieutenant colonel Aspinwall, who lost 
his left arm in the assault; and the last, by major Trim- 
ble, who was dangerously shot through the body. Under 
the immediate direction of the same gallant leader who 
had carried the cannon, upon the eminence at Lundy's 



OF THE LATE WAR. 327 

lane, and aided by lieutenant colonel Uphaui, with tlie 
21 st and part of the 17th, it made a rapid charge upon, 
and stormed the remaining; battery, which was instantly 
abandoned by the British infantry and artillery. General 
Ripley then ordered a line to be formed in front, for the 
protection of the detachments, engaged in spiking the 
enemy's guns, and demolishing the captured works. 
This line he determined also to strengthen, in order to 
annoy the rear of general Drummond's retreating forces, 
and was in the act of forwarding these arrangements; 
w^hen he received a dangerous wound in the neck, and 
fell by the side of major Brook, of the 23d, whose com- 
mand was at that moment engaged with a detachment 
on the enemy's right. His aid, lieutenant Kirby, caused 
him to be removed to the garrison, and general Miller 
having ordered the right wing to fall back, the troops 
upon the left were shortly after recalled, and the opera- 
tions ceased, with the accomplishment of all the objects 
of the sortie. 

The troops then returned to the garrison, with their 
prisoners, and many trophies of their valour; and on 
the third day after, lieutenant general Drummond, who 
had been joined before the sortie by majors general De- 
Watteville and Stovin, broke up his encampment, raised 
the siege, and hastily retired upon fort George. In addi- 
tion to the loss of nearly all his cannon, his force v/as 
again reduced at least 1000 men; and notwithstanding 
the results of 47 days incessant labour, were destroyed, 
and 11 of his officers, and 374 of his non-commissioned 
officers and privates made prisoners, and transferred to 
the American shore, he called the event a repulse of an 
American army of 5000 men, by an inconsiderable num- 
ber of British troops. Including the names already men- 
tioned, general Brown's army lost 1 officers and 70 men 
killed; 24 officers and 190 wounded; and 10 officers and 
206 missing — in all 510. Among. the killed, were cap- 
tains Armistead, of the rifle corps; Hall of the 11th in- 
fantry; Bradford, of the 21st infantry; and Buel, of the 
volunteers — ensign O'Fling, of the 23d infantry, an offi- 
cer of great merit, and lieutenants Brown, Belknap, and 
Blakesly, of the volunteers. But the loss of the three 
leaders of the columns, constituting the left, or general 
Porter's division, was sensibly felt throughout the army. 



3)28 HlSTCMlICAIi SKETCHES 

General Davis had entered the service, with a regiment 
of patriotic volunteers from the county of Genessee, and 
very soon distinguished himself by the industrious facili- 
ty with which he acquired a knowledge of military move- 
ments, and his coolness in the execution of them. The 
conduct of lieutenant colonel Wood, general Porter re- 
presented to be "what it uniformly had been, an exhi- 
bition of military skill, acute judgment, and heroic va- 
lour." 

It was in tlie act of storming the 2d battery, and at the 
head of his detachment that colonel Gibson received the 
mortal wound, which, on the following day, closed his 
military career, and deprived the service of a generous 
and gallant soldier. He had entered the army as a cadet, 
at AVest Point, in 1806; and, by the force and vigour of 
his military genius, had elevated himself to the rank of 
captain, at the declaration of war. Between that period and 
the day on which he fell, at the moment of his triumph 
over the enemy, he had filled several stations of honour 
and great responsibility. He had been entrusted with the 
superintendance of the recruiting district, received the 
commission of inspector general, and was finally pro- 
moted to the command of the 4th rifle re^ment. No 
officer was held in more general estimation, by the 
troops; and so distinguished had been his various and 
gallant services, that a military work, erected near Black 
Rock, was long since ordered to be called fort Gibson. 

Soon after the enemy had been thus compelled to 
raise the siege of fort Erie, the garrison was enlarged by 
the arrival of the right division, under major general 
Izard, who superseded general Brown in the command 
of the army. The accession of this division, and the 
strength of the defences, which were all by this time en- 
tire, and some of them garnished with heavy cannon, ren- 
dered fort Erie impregnable to the attacks of any other 
than a vastly superior force; and the month, intervening 
between the 17th of September and the 18th of October, 
was constantly employed in drilling and harmonizing 
the discipline of the two wings of the army. In the 
neighbourhood of Cook's mills at Lyon's creek, a branch 
of the Chippewa, it was understood that quantities of 
provisions were deposited for the use of the British troops, 
and general Izard directed general Bissell, commanding 



OF THE LATE WAR. 329 

the 2d brigade of the 1st division, to march thither and 
seize them. On the 18th he proceeded on the expedi- 
tion, and after driving in a picciuet guard, and capturing 
its commanding oiFicer, he threw two liglit companies 
under captain Dorman, of the 5th, and ifeutenant Hor- 
rell, of the 1 6th infantry, and a company of riflemen, 
under captain Irvine, across Lyon's creek, and encamped 
for the night with picquet guards stationed at proper 
distances. One of these, commanded by lieutenant Gas- 
saway, and stationed on the Chippewa road, was attack- 
ed by two companies of the Glengary light infantry, which 
were beat off with loss. On the following morning, the 
brigade was attacked by a force of 1200 men, under co- 
lonel the marquis of Tweedale. Captain Dorman's in- 
fantry, and Irvine's riflemen, received the first fire of the 
enemy, and sustained it with the greatest gallantry, whilst 
general Bissell was forming and bringing up the other 
troops to their support. Colonel Pinckney, with the 5th 
regiment, v^^as ordered to turn the enemy's right flank, 
and to cut off a piece of artillery which he had just then 
brought into action, whilst major Barnard, with the 14th, 
was to charge them in front. These movements were 
instantly effected. The enemy's left flank and his centre, 
sunk under the fire of corps d'elite, and the riflemen, and 
the charge of the 14th: and his right flank was turned im- 
mediately after, by the rapid and forcible movement of 
the 5th. The recoil of his line, and the approach of the 
American reserve, composed of the 15th, under major 
Grindage, and the 1 6th, under colonel Pearce, to enforce 
the success of the main body, was no sooner perceived by 
the marquis, than he ordered his troops to retire from tiie 
ground on which they had engaged general Bissell; and, 
expecting to draw that ofliicer after him, fell back to his 
fortifications at the mouth of the river. As his retreat 
was made without much regard to order, all his killed, 
and most of his wounded, were left behind. He was pur- 
sued but a small distance, when general Bissell, in con- 
formity to his instructions, destroyed the provisions at 
the mills, and returned to his position at Black creek, 
having effected the object of his expedition, with the loss 
of 67, killed, wounded and missing. 

The whole army, with the exception of lieutenant co- 
lonel Hindman's artillery, to whom the command of fort 

Ee 2 



330 niSTORICAIi SKETCHES 

Erie, and the works, was entrusted, was now operatin^x 
in the vicinity of Black creek and Chippewa. Its staff 
had been reduced by the removal of general Ripley to the 
American shore, after being wounded, and the transfer 
of general Brown to Sacket's Harbour, and of general 
Miller to Boston. Immediately after the repulse of the 
marquis of Tweedale, general Izard directed its return 
to the garrison, whence, as the weather was about this 
lime setting in extremely cold, and the season having ar- 
rived when hostilities usually ceased, it was determined 
to transport it to the American shore, to supply the troops 
with more comfortable winter quarters. The fort was 
accordingly destroyed, and all the batteries demolished; 
and after a vigorous and brilliant campaign of four months, 
the Canadian territory was evacuated, and the army dis- 
tributed in quarters at Buffaloe, Black Rock, and Bata- 
via. The volunteers and militia were discharged, with 
the thanks of the government, and general Porter received 
various testimonials of approbation and applause from the 
state to which he belonged, for his constant display of 
bravery, and the high degree of discipline which he main- 
tained in his command. 

Whilst these events were transpiring between the north- 
ern army, and the armies of lieutenant general Drum- 
mond and sir George Prevost, an expedition had been 
fitted out in the northwestern country, under the united 
command of commodore Sinclair, with the fleet upon lake 
Erie, and lieutenant colonel Croghan, with a detachment 
of artillery and infantry, to act against the fort and island 
of Michilimackinac. But the expedition failed, notwith- 
standing the skill and gallantry of the officers engaged in 
it; and the troops retired from the island, after having 
effected a landing, with the loss of the second officer, 
major Holmes, of the 32d infantry. The enemy apprised 
of the movement, appeared in large numbers to resist it, 
and being protected by breastworks, and aided by a body 
of Indians, exceeding the strength of colonel Croghan's 
detachment, that intrepid young officer was compelled to 
withdiaw his forces, and return to the shipping. On his 
way to the island, however, he destroyed the fort St. Jo- 
seph's, and the enemy's establishment at Sault St. Mary's. 
The loss of the detachment in the expedition amounted to 
66, killed, wounded and missing. 



or THE LATE WAR. 351 

After leaving the island, commodore Sinclair stationed 
two of his schooners, the Tigress and Scorpion, near St. 
Joseph's, to cut off all supplies for the British garrison at 
Michilimackinac. Lieutenant colonel M'Dowall, the com- 
mandant of the garrison, supplied lieutenant Worsley, of 
the navy, with 250 Indians, and & detachment of the New- 
foundland regiment, with whom, and 150 sailors, he at- 
tacked the schooners on the 9th of September. After a 
severe struggle, in which he lost a very disproportionate 
number of killed and wounded, he carried the vessels, and 
proceeded with them to Michilimackinac. 

On the 22d of the following month, brigadier general 
M* Arthur, having collected 720 effective regulars and mi- 
litia, proceeded on a secret expedition, along the western 
shore of lake St. Clair, and passed into the Canadian ter- 
ritory, at the mouth of that water. He penetrated 200 
miles in the enemy's country; destroyed more than that 
number of muskets; attacked a large body of militia and 
Indians, encamped on favourable ground ; made about 150 
prisoners; and dispersed all the detachments to be found 
at the Thames, Oxford, or Grand River. During the 
march, he principally subsisted on the enemy, and fired 
several of the mills, from which the British troops in Up- 
per Canada were supplied with food. Having gained in- 
telligence of the evacuation of fort Erie, he abandoned his 
intention of proceeding to Burlington Heights, and re- 
turned to Detroit on the 17th of November. By this rapid 
expedition, the enemy's hostile intentions were diverted 
from another quarter, and his means of attacking Detroit 
entirely crippled; the destruction of his supplies render- 
ing such an attempt altogether impracticable. . 



HISTORICAL SKETCHES 



CHAPTER XXI. 



Repeated engagements hetiveen the gun boat flotilla and 
the British vessels in the Patuxent — Bladensburg — 
Capture of Washington'— Of Mexandria — Death of sir 
Peter Parker — Mtack upon Baltimore — Death of ge- 
neral RosSy and repulse of his army^— Blockade and 
siege of J\*ew Orleans — Defeat of the British forces 
there — Termination of the tVar^ by a Treaty of Peace 
and Amity t negotiated at Ghent. 

The movements of the British blockadiil<5squadrons> 
on the eastern coast, during the summer of 1814, have 
already been traced to the occupation of Eastport and 
Castine, in the beginning of September. In their opera- 
tions along the shores of the Chesapeake bay, and the 
southern coast, they have not been followed beyond their 
attack upon Hampton and Ocracock, in the month of 
June. At that period, a flotilla, consisting of a cutter, 
two gUn boats, a galley, and nine large barges, sailed from 
Baltimore, under commodore Barney, for the protection 
of the inlets and harbours in the several parts of the bay. 
On the 1st June^ being at the mouth of the Patuxent, tlie 
commodore discovered two schooners, one of which car- 
ried 18 guns, and immediately gave chase. The schoo- 
ners were joined, however, by a large ship, which des- 
patched numbers of barges to their assistance, and the 
commodore, in danger of being cut off from the Poto- 
mac, signaled his flotilla to sail up the Patuxent. In the 
river he engaged the schooners and the barges, and after 
beating them off with hot shot, he anchored within three 
miles of a 74, stationed at its mouth. In the course of a 
few days the enemy was reinforced by a raxee and a sloop 
of war, and joining the barges of these vessels, to those 
with which they had already engaged commodore Bar- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 333 

ney, lliey followed his flotilla into St. Leonard's creek, 
two miles above the mouth of which his gun boats and 
barges were formed in line of battle, across the channeL 
l^'rom this point the commodore engaged them, and see- 
ing a disposition to fall back, he immediately bore down, 
put them to flight, and pursued them to within a short 
distance of their shipping, which consisted of a ship, a 
brig, and two schooners. In the afternoon of the 10th, 
the enemy made another attempt upon the flotilla, with 
twenty barges and the two schooners. The commodore 
immediately moved upon them, and after a smart fire, 
drove the barges down to the 18 gun vessel, which, in at- 
tempting to beat out, was so severely handled, that her 
crew ran her aground and abandoned her. 

These attempts upon the flotilla were constantly re- 
peated, and its blockade in St. Leonard's continued until 
the 26th; on the morning of which day, a combined at- 
tack of a corps of artillery, which had been despatched 
from Washington to its assistance, a detachment of the 
marine corps, and the flotilla itself, was made upon the 
whole squadron, among which v>^ere two frigates. Tlie 
action continued upwards of two hours, and terminated 
in driving the enemy from his anchorage. His ships stood 
down the river,-'and commodore Barney finding the block- 
ade raised, sailed out of St. Leonard's, and proceeded up 
the Patuxent. 

The British squadron, at the differenl^ stations in the 
Chesapeake, were now every day augmented, by arrivals 
of transports and siiips of the line from England. The 
cessation of hostilities which had taken place in Europe, 
enabled the British government to send out powerful re- 
inforcements to their fleets and armies already on the 
coast, and admiral sir Alexander Cochrane had been des- 
patched with upwards of 30 sail, having on board an army 
of several thousand men, under major general Ross. — 
This force entered the Chesapeake in the course of the 
summer, and between the land and naval commanders, a 
plan of attack upon Wasliington, Alexandria, and Balti- 
more, was soon after adopted. A few weeks before the 
repulse of sir George Frevost, at Plattsburg, admiral 
Cochrane notified the secretary of state, of his having 
been called upon by the governor general, to lay waste, 



334 HISTORICAL SKETCHES ' 

and destroy, all such towns and districts upon the coast 
as might be found assailable; and that he had in conse- 
quence issued his orders to that eftect, to all the naval 
commanders upon the station. 

If this despatch were forwarded with the honourable 
intent of apprising the American government of the con- 
templated attack upon the capital, the object was either 
wilfully, or through negligence, defeated; for, previously 
to the receipt of this notice at the department of state, 
the enemy was already ascending, in two divisions of his 
fleet, the Patuxent and the Potomac. In the first of these 
rivers, his force amounted to 27 square rigged vessels, all 
of which proceeded to Benedict, the head of frigate navi- 
gation, and landed about 6000 regulars, seamen and ma- 
rines. Commodore Barney, by the orders of the secre- 
tary of the navy, had made arrangements to have blown 
up the flotilla on the approach of the enemy; and joined 
the army, under general Winder. As soon as the enemy 
appeared, the flotilla was accordingly blown up. The 
enemy then took up his march by the way of Notting- 
ham and Marlborough for Washington. At this time 

general Winder, with the forces intended to oppose him, 
was at the Wood-Yard, twelve miles to the southward 
of the capital. His force at this place anfounted to about 
three thousand, including seamen and marines. As it 
was ascertained that the enemy was approaching, gene- 
ral Winder fell, back to the Battalion Old Fields, to pre- 
vent his communication with the city from being inter- 
cepted. On the evening of the 23d, general Ross in force 
pushed within a few miles of the Old Fields, and bivou- 
acked for the night. In the course of the afternoon pre- 
ceding, his van-guard encountered the light corps of lieu- 
tenant colonel Scott, major Peter, and captain Stull, with 
whom a few shot were exchanged, when on the arrival of 
the British column these corps retreated and joined the 
American army. About twilight, general Winder took 
up his march from the Battalion Old Fields, crossed the 
eastern branch of the Potomac, above the navy yard, and 
encamped near the bridge. Early on the 24th, the enemy's 
column resumed its march, and reached Bladensburg, 
about 6 miles from Washington, without loss. At Bladens- 
burg, general Stansbury had taken an advantageous posi- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 335 

tion, and by the greatest exertion, general Winder wa« 
enabled to interpose his whole force before the enemy, in- 
. o'^l'^.'!'""''''?''''^ Barney's flotilla men and marines. At 
1, F. M. the action commenced: The Baltimore artillery 
under captains Myers and Macgruder, supported by ma- 
jor Pinkney's riflemen, were stationed in advance, to 
command the pass of the biid-e, and dealt out a very 
destructive fire. But the Britisli column advanced upon 
them in such superior force, that they were obliged to 
retire. Upon which, the right and centre of general Stans- 
bury s brigade, immediately gave way, and in a few mi- 
nutes he was deserted by his whole command, except 
about 40 men of colonel Ragan's regiment, and captain 
Siiowers company. The 5th Baltimore regiment, under 
colonel feterret, stationed on the left of general Stans- 
bury's brigade, maintained its ground, until, lest it should 
be outflanked, an order was given for its retreat The 
reserve under brigadier general Smith, of the District of 
^olumbia,with commodore Barney and lieutenant colonel 
Beall on their right, still remained upon the hill, and con- 
tinued the contest after the flight of the Maryland brie;ade. 
As the mihtia retired, the British regulars advanced upon 
the main road, and coming immediately in front of com- 
modore Barney's corps, he opened his 18-pounders upon 
them, which cleared the road, and for a time disordered 
their column, and retarded their approach. Two other 
attempts made by the enemy to pass the battery, were 
also repulsed ; when general Ross marched a division of 
his troops into an open field, with a determination to flank 
the commodore's right. This attempt also was frustrated 
by captain Miller, of the marines, with three 12-pounders, 
and the flotilla-men acting as infantry. After being thus 
kept in check about half an hour, general Ross began to 
outflank the right of the battery, in large numbers; and 
pushed his main body over the ground which had been 
abandoned by general Smith's brigade, and threatened to 
turn Barney's left. Having expended nearly all his am- 
munition, and in consequence of the retreat of general 
Smith's brigade, being unprotected on his left, commodore 
Barney found himself unable to contend longer against 
the overwhelming force of the enemy. To add to his 
present embarrassments, he received himself a severe 



336 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

wound in the thigh, and lost the services of two of his 
principal officers, who were killed, and also of captain 
Miller of the marines, and sailing master Martin, who 
were wounded. At this juncture, the enemy from the 
right and left was gaining the rear of the battery. Thus 
situated, the commodore gave orders for a retreat, and 
after being carried a short distance from the scene of his 
gallantry, he fell, exhausted by the loss of blood, and was 
soon after made prisoner by general Ross and admiral 
Cockburn, who put him on his parole, and having first 
removed him to their hospital in Bladensburg, ordered 
the immediate attendance of their surgeons to dress his 
wound. 

Having thus obtained possession of the bridge, over 
the eastern branch of the Potomac, the enemy marched 
directly upon the capital, and immediately proceeded to 
the destruction of all the spacious and splendid edifices 
by which it was adorned. The senate house, the repre- 
sentative hall, the supreme court room, the president's 
house, with all its external and interior decorations, and 
the buildings containing the public departments, were 
very soon demolished, and several private houses burned 
to the ground. The plunder of individual property was 
prohibited, however, and soldiers transgressing the order 
were severely punished. The principal vengeance of ad- 
miral Cockburn, on whom, if the safety of the citizens* 
dwellings had alone depended, if he is to be judged by 
his former conduct, they would have rested on a slender 
guarantee, was directed against the printing office of the 
editor of a newspaper, from whose press had been issued 
frequent accounts of the admiral's depredations along the 
coast. 

The navy yard, as well as a new first rate frigate, and 
a sloop of war, were destroyed by order of government, 
upon the approach of the enemy, to prevent the immense 
public stores, munitions and armaments, deposited there, 
from falling into his hands. The patent office alone, in 
which were collected the rarest specimens of the arts of 
the country, escaped the insatiable vengeance of a foe, 
whose destroying arm was directed against the most su- 
perb monuments of architectural skill, and public muni- 
ficence. The public documents and official records, the 



OF THE LATE WAR. 337 

tliigs, and various other trophies of the repeated triumphs 
of the American arms, and the specie from all the banks 
in the (iistrict, had previously been placed beyond the 
reach of the cupidity of the invaders, and they returned 
from an irruption which excited the indi2;nation of all 
parties in the union, and drew forth the deprecations of 
the principal nations in Europe. 

The president and the heads of departments, all of 
whom had visited the rendezvous of the troops at Bla- 
densburg, tiie day before the battle, finding that the force 
which had been liastily assembled, did not amount to the 
number cdled for by the requisitions upon the adjacent 
states, returned to the metropolis to make arrangements 
for the augmentation of general Winder's army. This 
duty, which in times of less danger, required the exercise 
of great energy, could not be performed, before the ene- 
my had encountered and defeated the corps already col- 
lected. The capture of these officers would have caused 
at least a temporary derangement of the government, 
and in order that its functions might be resumed imme- 
diately after the departure of the enemy, they retired 
from the metropolis on his approach. General Winder 
had also withdrawn, with the remnant of his force to 
Montgomery courthouse: the citizens were incapable of 
opposing the hostile operations of the British comman- 
ders; and the capital was therefore entirely at their 
mercy. 

That division of the enemy's fleet, which ascended the 
Potomac, consisting of 8 sail, upon which were mounted 
173 5funs, and commanded by captain Gordon, was direct- 
ed to attack the city of Alexandria. As they approach- 
ed up the river, the commandant of fort Warburton, cap- 
tain Dyson, destroyed that garrison, and retired with his 
artillerists, and the British squadron passed up to t]ie city, 
without annoyance or impediment. The people^ of Alex- 
andria surrendered their town, and obtained a stipula- 
tion on the 29th of August, from the British comman- 
der, that their dwellings should not be entered or destroy- 
ed. The condition upon which this stipulation was made, 
required the immediate delivery to the enemy, of :ill 
public and private naval and ordnance stores; of all the 
shipping, and the furniture necessary to their equipment, 
then in port; of all the merchandise, of every descrip- 

Ff 



338 HISTORlCAIi SKETCHES 

tion whether in tlie town, or removed from it since the . 
19th of the month; that such merchandise should be put 
on board the shi|3ping, at the expense of the owners ; and 
that all vessels which might have been sunk upon the ap- 
proach of tlie enemy, should be raised by the merchants 
and delivered up, with all their apparatus. These hard 
and ungenerous conditions were complied with; and on 
the 6th of September, captain Gordon moved ofl' with a 
fleet of prize vessels, which, as well as his frigates and 
other vessels of war, contained cargoes of booty. In 
descending the river, he was warmly opposed, and re- 
ceived considerable damage from two batteries at the 
White House, and at Indian Head, under the respective 
commands of captains Porter and Perry, of the navy— 
the former assisted by general Hungerford's brigade of 
Virginia militia infantry, and a company of riflemen, from 
Jefferson county, under captain Humphreys, whose bro- 
ther lost an arm in the engagement ; and the latter by the 
brigade of general Stewart, and the volunteer companies 
of major Peter and captain Bircli. The batteries, how- 
ever, not being completed, and mounting but a few light 
pieces, could not prevent the departure of the enemy 
with his immense booty, though they kept up an inces- 
sant fire from the 3d until the 6th of the month, upon 
the vessels passing down on each of these days. Com- 
modore Rodgers, too, aided by lieutenant Newcombe 
and sailing master Ramage, made frequent attempts to 
destroy the enemy's shipping, by approaching within the 
range of musket shot, with several small fire vessels. 
After the communication of the fire, a change of wind 
prevented these vessels from getting in between the Bri- 
tish frigates, tliough they excited much alarm among the 
fleet, whose men were actively employed in extinguish- 
ing the flames. These respective forces were afterwards 
concentrated, and commodore Rodgers took possession 
of Alexandria, with a determination to defend it, notwith- 
standing its surrender, against another attempt of the 
enemy, whose fleet was not yet out of sight from the 
nearest battery. 

After the embarkation of the troops under general 
Ross, whose loss at Bladensburg nearly amounted to 
1000 men, in killed, wounded, prisoners, deserters, and 
those who died of fatigue, admiral Cochrane concentrat- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 339 

ed the various detachments of his fleet, and made prepa- 
rations for an attack upon the city of Baltimore. 

Despatch vessels were forwarded to all parts of the 
bay, to call together the frigates stationed near the dif- 
ferent shores, and among others the Menelaus, command- 
ed by sir Peter Parker, and then lying in the neighbour- 
hood of Moors Fields. That officer determined on an 
expedition against a detachment of Maryland volunteers, 
encamped, under colonel Read, at those fields, before he 
obeyed the call of the admiral; and for tliat purpose land- 
ed with 230 men, and made a detour to surprise and cut 
it off. The detachment consisted of 170 men; and its 
commander, being apprised of the enemy's motions, was 
fully prepared to receive him. Sir Peter advanced to a 
charge, and being repulsed, opened a fire within pistol 
shot, which continued nearly an hour. At the end of 
that time his force was driven back, with a loss of 17 
carried off, and 13 killed, and 3 wounded, left upon the 
ground : among the wounded was sir Peter, who died 
immediately after being put on board the Menelaus. — 
Colonel Read had 3 men slightly wounded. The Mene- 
laus joined the fleet upon the following day, and sailed 
with it to the mouth of the Petapsco on the 10th of Sep- 
tember. 

The fleet consisted of nearly 40 sail, and the heaviest 
vessels, ships of the line, anchored across the channel^ 
and commenced the debarkation of the troops, intended 
for the land attack, upon North Point, 12 miles distant 
from the city. By the morning of the 12th, about 8000 
soldiers, sailors, and marines, were in readiness to march 
upon the town, and 16 bomb vessels and frigates pro- 
ceeded up the river, and anchored within two miles and 
an half of fort M'Henry. 

This garrison, commanded by lieutenant colonel G. 
Armistead, of the United States' artillery; a battery at 
the Lazaretto, commanded by lieutenant Rutter, of*^ the 
flotilla; a small work called fort Covington, by lieutenant 
Newcombe, of the Guerriere; a six gun battery, erected 
near it, by lieutenant Webster, of the flotilla ; and lines of 
intrenchments and breastworks, hastily thrown up by the 
people of Baltimore, were relied on for the defence and 
protection of the city. 



340 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

At the forts and batteries, 1000 men were stationed; 
along the breastworks, about four times that number ; 
and all under command of major general Samuel Smith, 
assisted by brigadier general Winder, of the United States* 
army, and brigadier general Strieker, of the Baltimore 
brigade. 

In anticipation of the enemy's intention to land at the 
point, and to meet and repulse liis light parties, or to en- 
gage his whole force at a distance from the main works, 
general Strieker was despatched with part of his brigade, 
and a light corps of riilemen and infantry, from general 
Stansbury's brigade, under major Randal, and several 
companies of the Pennsylvania volunteers. On the even- 
ing of the 11th, this detachment, amounting to 3185 
eft'ective men, reached the meeting house, near the head 
of Bear creek, when the volunteer cavalry, under co- 
lonel Biays, were sent three miles, and captain Dyer's ri- 
flemen, two miles, in advance. Early on the following 
morning, captain Montgomery, with the artillery; lieute- 
nant colonel Sterret, with the 5th; and lieutenant colonel 
Long, with the 27th regiments, were sent some distance 
forward. The artillery was planted in the middle of 
the North Point road, and supported on each flank b} the 
two infantry regiments. The 51st regiment, under lieu- 
tenant colonel Amey, was stationed a few hundred yards 
in the rear of the 5th: the 39ih, under lieutenant colonel 
Fowler, in the rear of the 27th; and the 6th, under lieu- 
tenant colonel M'Donald, drawn up as a reserve, half a 
mile in the rear of the whole. 

The riflemen were ordered to skirt a low wood, with 
a large sedge field in its front, under cover of which, as 
the cavalry fell back to apprise general Strieker of the 
approach of the enemy, they were to annoy the British 
advance, and retire in good order upon the main body of 
the troops. Soon after these dispositions had been made, 
the cavalry cume in with the intelligence, that the ene- 
my's light corps were rapidly advancing along the road, 
and at the moment when it was expected they would be 
engaged by the riflemen, that body was seen falling back 
without having opposed them, under a presumption that 
the enemy had landed at Black river, in order to cut oft' 
their retreat. The general immediately pushed forward 
two companies from the 5th infantry, 150 in number. 



OF THE LATE WAR, 341 

under captains Levering and Howard, and commanded 
by major Heath, of that regiment; about 70 riflemen, un- 
der captain Aisquith; the cavalry, and 10 artillerists, with 
a 4 pounder, commanded by lieutenant Stiles. This de- 
tachment, having proceeded half a mile, wj^s met by, and 
instantly engaged, the enemy's main body. The situa- 
tion of the ground would not admit of the co-operation of 
the artillery and cavalry; and the infantry and riflemen 
sustained the whole action with great gallantry, pouring 
in a rapid and effective fire upon the British column, 
killing major general Ross, and several other ofiicers, and 
impeding the advance of the British army. Having per- 
formed the duty required of them by general Strieker, 
the whole detachment, with a trifling loss, fell back in 
excellent order upon the American line. The enemy 
then moved forward, under colonel Brooke, upon whom 
the command had devolved, and at half past 2 began to 
throw his rockets upon the left flank of the militia bri- 
gade. Captain Montgomery immediately opened his ar- 
tillery upon him, and the British played upon the left and 
centre with their 6 pounders and a howitzer. The can- 
nonade continued with great vivacity, until general Striek- 
er ordered the firing to cease, so as to draw the enemy 
within the range of grape and canister. Colonel Brooke 
then covered his whole front with the British light bri- 
gade ; directed the 4th regiment, by a detour, to gain a 
lodgment close upon the American left, and formed a line 
along general Strieker's front, with the 41st regiment, the 
marines of the fleet, and a detachment of seamen ; and 
placed the 21st regiment, the 2d battalion of marines, 
and another detachment of seamen, in columns on the 
main road, witii orders to press on the American right, on 
the first opportunity. General Strieker, seeing that his 
left flank would be the main object of attack, cjdered up 
the 39th into line on the srth, and detached two pieces 
of artillery to the extreme left of lieutenant colonel Fow- 
ler's command. Lieutenant colonel Amey was also di- 
rected to form the 51st at right angles, witli his right rest- 
ing near the left of the 39th. 

The whole force of the enemy at that moment pressed 
forward his right column, advancing upon the 27th and 
39th, and attacked those regiments with great impetuo- 
sity. The 5 1st, which was ordered to open upon the ene- 

Ff 2 



342 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

my in his attempt to turn the rest of the line, delivered 
a loose fire, immediately broke, fled precipitately from 
its ground, and in such confusion, that every effort to 
rally it proved ineffectual. The 2d battalion of the 39th, 
was thrown into disorder, by the flight of the 51st, and 
some of its companies also gave way. The remainder, 
and the 1st battalion stood firm. Thus abandoned by 
the retreat of the 51st, general Strieker made new ar- 
rangements for the reception of the enemy, and opened 
a general fire upon him, from the right, left and centre. 
The artillery sent forth a destructive torrent of canister 
against the British left column, then attempting to gain 
the cover of a small log house, in front of the 5th regi- 
ment. Captain Sadtler, with his yagers from that regi- 
ment, who were posted in the house when the British 
4th regiment was advancing, had, however, taken the 
precaution to set fire to it, and the intention of the enemy 
was therefore defeated. The 6th regiment then opened 
its fire, and the whole line entered into an animated con- 
test, wi\ich continued with a severe loss to the enemy, 
until 15 minutes before 4 o'clock. At that hour, general 
Strieker, having inflicted as much injury upon the inva- 
ders as could possibly be expected, from a line now but 
14G0 strong, against a force amounting, notwithstanding 
its losses, to at least 7000 men, ordered his brigade to 
retire upon the reserve regiment; an order which was 
well executed by the whole line, which in a few minutes 
rallied upon lieutenant colonel M'Donald. From the 
point occupied by this regiment, general Strieker, in 
order to refresh his troops, and prepare them for a se- 
cond movement of the enemy, retired to a position half 
a mile in advance of the left of major general Smith's 
intrenchments. Here Vie was joined by general Winder, 
who, with general Douglass's Virginia brigade, and the 
United States' dragoons, under captain Bird, took post 
upon his left. 

Whilst all these movements were in operation, general 
Smith was actively engaged in manning the trenches and 
batteries with generals Stansbury and Foreman's bri- 
gades, a detachment of seamen and marines, under com- 
modore Rodgers, colonels Cobean and Finly's Pennsyl- 
vania volunteers, colonel Harris's Baltimore artillery, and 
the marine artillery under captain Stiles. Colonel Brooke 



OF THE LATE WAR. 34 o 

did not advance with his columns further than the ground 
on which general Strieker had been previously formed, 
where he remained during the night of the 12th. Early 
on the following morning, he received a communication 
from admiral Cochrane, that the frigates, bomb ships, and 
flotilla of barges, >v^ould take their stations, to bombard 
the town and fort in the course of the morning. At day- 
break of the 13th, the land forces, therefore, again moved 
forward, and occupied a position two miles eastward of 
the intrenchments. The day was chiefly employed in 
manoeuvring by both parties ; colonel Brooke frequently 
attempting to make a detour through the country, to th.e 
Harford and York roads, and generals Winder a,nd Strieker 
adapting their movements to those of the enemy, the bet- 
ter to frustrate his designs. At noon the British columns 
were concentrated directly in front of the American line, 
and colonel Brooke advanced to within a mile of the 
works, drove in the outposts, and made arrangements for 
an attack at night. Generals Winder and Strieker were 
then ordered to station themselves on the enemy's right, 
and in the event of an attack upon the breastworks, 
to fall upon that flank, or on his rear. The assault was 
not made, however, and the enemy, probably thinking he 
would be outflanked, and having discovered the strength 
of the defences, withdrew from his position in the course 
of the night, and re-embarked his troops in the evening of 
the 14th. His retreat was not discovered until break of 
that day, in consequence of the darkness of the night ; 
and though a heavy fall of rain continued throughout the 
morning, general Winder with his dragoons and the Vir- 
ginia militia, major Randal with his light corps, and the 
whole militia and cavalry, were sent in pursuit. The ex- 
cessive fatigue of tlie troops, all of whom had been three 
days and nights under arms, in the most inclement wea- 
ther, prevented their annoy ino; the enemy's rear with 
much effect, and they made prisoners of none but strag- 
glers from his army. At the moment when colonel 
Brooke advanced along the Philadelphia road, the fri- 
gates and bomb ships of the fleet approached within 
striking distance of the fort. Colonel Armistead had al- 
ready disposed of his force to maintain the cannonade 
with vigour; a company of regular artillery, under cap- 
tain Evans, and another of volunteer artillery, under 



344 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

captain Nicholson, manned the bastions in the Star fort; 
captains Bunbury and Addison's sea fencibles, and cap- 
tain Berry's, and lieutenant Pennington's artillery, were 
stationed at the water batteries; and about 600 infantry, 
under lieutenant colonel Stewart, and major Lane, were 
placed in the outer ditch, to repulse an attempt to land. 
The bombardment commenced. All the batteries were 
immediately opened upon the enemy, but the shot falling 
very far short of his vessels, the firing ceased from the 
fort, or was maintained only at intervals, to show that 
the garrison had not sunk under the tremendous showers 
of rockets and shells, incessantly thrown into the batte- 
ries. Thus situated, without the power of retaliating the 
attack of the enemy, colonel Armistead and his brave men 
endured their mortification with an unyielding spirit du- 
ring the whole bombardment, which continued until 7 
o'clock on the morning of the 14th. Under cover of the 
night, the British commanders despatched a fleet of 
barges to attack and storm fort Covington. The attempt 
was repulsed, however, and the assailants retired with 
an immense loss, to their bomb vessels; and on the 
morning of Wednesday, the whole stood down the river, 
and rejoined admiral Cochrane's fieet. The loss in the 
fort amounted to 4 killed, and 24 wounded : among the 
Jiilled were two gallant young volunteer oflicers, lieute- 
nants Clagget and Clem. The entire loss of the enemy 
has not yet been ascertained. That of the Americans on 
the field of battle did not fall short of 150, which, being 
added to the killed and wounded in the fort, makes a total 
of 178. The invaders having thus retired from what they 
called a demonstration upon Baltimore, the safety of the 
citizens was secured, and the different corps were relieved 
from further duty. 

The plan of operations, iiowever, which had been adopt- 
ed by the British cabinet, to destroy and lay waste the 
pHncipal towns and commercial cities, assailable either 
by their land or naval forces, was not to be abandoned 
because of this repulse, gallant and effective as it was. 
— The cities of Charleston, Savannah, Baltimore and 
Washington, were destined to be burned and plun- 
dered ; and New Orleans, the great emporium of all the 
wealth and treasure of the western states, was to be 
seized, and held as a colony of Great Britain- The fail- 



OF THE LATE AVAll. 345 

lire of her arms, in an assault upon either of these places, 
was not to prevent an attack upon another, no matter 
what the slaughter; and the separate commanders were 
directed to concentrate their forces, or draw from the 
Bermudas such an augmentation as should be necessary, 
and in the event of successive repulses upon other ob- 
jects, to bend all their strength against the city of New 
Orleans, and its defences on the Mississippi. At the 
Bermudas a powerful and well appointed fleet and army 
was, for this purpose, collected, and their arrival upon 
the southern coast daily anticipated. Admiral Cochrane 
iiad, in the mean time, directed a smaller squadron of 
vessels, then fitting out at Pensacola, in the territory of a 
neighbouring nation with whom the United States were 
at the same moment at peace, for an expedition against 
some of the defences, by which the entrances to New 
Orleans was protected, to make the earliest preparation 
for an assault upon fort Bowyer, a garrison situated at a 
point called Mobile. In the early part of September, 
this squadron, consisting of two sloops of war, and two 
gun brigs, mounting in all 90 guns, and commanded by 
captain Percy, was already on its way to the intended 
attack. On the 12th of that month, captain Percy came 
within sight of the fort, landed upwards of 700 Indians 
and marines in its rear, where, within a small distance of 
the garrison, they erected a land battery, and towards the 
evening of the 15th, the assault commenced with a can- 
nonade and bombardment. The fort was commanded 
by major Lawrence, of the 2d infantry, mounted 20 pieces 
of cannon, most of them of small calibre, and was gar- 
risoned by less than 130 men. With this disproportion- 
ate strength, major Lawrence not only sustained a con- 
flict of several hours, but eventually drove the enemy's 
troops from their position on the shore — destroyed his 
principal ship the Hermes, which was abandoned by her 
crew, and afterwards blown out of the water---and re- 
pulsed his assailants with a loss on their side, in killed 
and wounded, of 2S0 men. The remaining ships of the 
squadron returned to Pensacola, where they were again 
received by the governor, to repair their losses and obtain 
new equipments. Mortified in the extreme at their un- 
expected disaster, and fully determined on avenging it, 
the British commanders forthwith commenced the enlarge^ 



346 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

ment of their forces, by enlisting new tribes of Indians, 
provided with arms and ammunition, at the expense of 
the Spaniards. 

The Creek Indians, whose numerous hordes had al- 
ready been repeatedly defeated, at the Alabama, the Hic- 
kory grounds, and elsewhere, by levies of militia, under 
major general Jackson, (then at Tennessee, but now of 
the United States' army, a man of great promptness, de^ 
cision and intrepidity,) and who had been reduced to the 
necessity of negotiating a treaty of peace with the govern- 
ment, were again urged to raise the tomhawk against the 
people by whom they had been conquered. Until some 
decisive and effectual measures were adopted to prevent 
this illegal, and, to the Americans, dangerous intercourse, 
the inroads of the treacherous savages would become no 
less frequent than before, and the facilities of annoying 
the adjacent American coast be greatly multiplied. At 
the appearance of such imminent danger, general Jack- 
son, whose head quarters were then at Mobile, did not 
hesitate what plan to pursue, and without waiting for the 
authority of the government, he immediately collected a 
force of nearly 4000 men, and determined on the occupa- 
tion of, and the expulsion of the enemy from, the town 
of Pensacola. On his arrival before that place, he re- 
quired of the governor, an immediate consent to the oc- 
cupation of the forts by the Americans, until they should 
be garrisoned by a sufficient number of Spanish troops 
to protect them against the violation of their neutrality, 
of which the British forces were entirely regardless. 
This proposal was unhesitatingly rejected, and after a 
feeble resistance to his approaches, general Jackson car- 
ried the place by storm, and forced a compliance with 
his equitable demand. By the persuasion of the British 
officers, however, the commandant of the principal fort 
was induced to destroy its armament, and blow up the 
bastions, and having secured his troops on board the 
British squadron, to retire with them to the Havanna. 
The necessity which took general Jackson to Pensacola, 
being now therefore at an end, he returned to the Ame- 
rican territory, and made preparations for the defence of 
New Orleans. 

From this period, the early part of November, until 
the middle of December, the naval force upon t!ie sta- 



OE THE LATE WAU. 347 

tion was gradually increasing; it amounted at length to 
60 sail, composed principally of ships of the line, heavy 
frigates, and transports, and comprised of the command 
of admiral Warren, and the detachment from Bermuda. 
On board this formidable fleet, was an army o^ nearly 
16,000 men, detailed from the grand army of the Duke of 
Wellington, and placed under the chief command of sir 
Edward Packenham, the eleve of that distinguished gene- 
ral. To this army was attached a general staff, selected 
from the ablest officers of the army of the continent, and 
including majors generals Gibbs, Keane, and Lambert. 

To watch the approach of the enemy, and to apprise 
the com.mander in chief at New Orleans, of the advance 
of the fleet, commodore Patterson, commanding on the 
naval station there, despatched five gun boats, under lieu- 
tenant Jones, to the pass Christian, These boats consist- 
ed of No. 5, sailing master Ferris; 23, lieutenant M'Kee- 
ver; 156, lieutenant commanding Jones; 162, lieutenant 
Speddon; 163, sailing master Ulrick; and carried 23 guns, 
and 182 men. The Sea Horse tender, sailing master 
Johnson, had been sent into the bay of St. Louis, on the 
morning of the 13th December, to remove the public 
stores from the adjacent shore, and was attempted to 
be cut out by three British despatch boats, whom she re- 
pulsed with considerable loss. Her commander then 
anchored her, at an advantageous position near the bank 
of the lake, on which were stationed two 6-pounders, and 
awaited the approach of the same barges, and a reinforce- 
ment of four others. The Sea Horse was vigorously 
attacked, but continued to resist her assailants upwards 
of 30 minutes, when sailing master Johnson set fire to 
her, escaped to the shore, and destroyed the deposit of 
provisions and stores. Lieutenant Jones, having now 
discovered that a squadron of barges was on its way to 
the pass, made arrangements to repulse an attack, and 
for that purpose, ordered the commanders of the boats, 
to form a line abreast across Malheureux island channel, 
with springs upon the cables. At daylight of the 15th, 
the enemy approached. Tlie United States' tender. Al- 
ligator, being to the southward and eastward of the gun 
boats, in attempting to join them, was easily captured by 
a detachment of barges, and the British squadron, con- 
sisting of 42 barges, and 3 gigs, mounting 43 guns, and 



348 IIISTORICAI. SKETCliEb 

carrying 1200 men, under the orders of captain Lockyer, 
formed also a line abreast, in open order, and commenced 
an engagement. Three of them attempted to board No. 
156, lieutenant Jones's boat, but were promptly repulsed, 
with the loss, too, of all their officers. A second attempt 
was, a little while after, made by four other barges, with 
no greater success. Against this boat alone, 15 of the 
barges were at one moment engaged, and lieutenant Jones, 
having been wounded, and compelled to go below, and 
the master's mate, Parker, after defending her to the ut- 
most of his skill, being also wounded, the enemy suc- 
ceeded in carrying her, and turning her gun against the 
other gun boats. With this acquisition to his strength, 
the British coimnander obtained a more easy conquest, 
which was completed by the surrender of No. 23, lieute- 
nant M'Keever, who held out to the last. This contest 
was as desperate as it was unequal ; and the loss on board 
the flotilla, amounted to 6 men killed, and 35 wounded; 
on board the enemy's squadron, it was nearly 300. 

By the capture of the gun boats, the principal protec- 
tion to the coast was lost, and the enemy had it in his 
power, to move at pleasure, and select any point, at which 
the greatest facility to the landing of his troops, would 
be afforded. Accordingly, having collected at the Isle aux 
Poix, near the entrance of Pearl river, a division of his 
army, of upwards of 3000 men, under major general 
Keane, and having ascertained, that a landing might be 
effected, at the bayou Catalan, the light brigade, the 4th, 
85th, and 95th regiments, Lane's rocketteers, and 100 
sappers and miners, were embarked in boats, under co- 
lonel Thornton; and the 21st, 44th, and 93d regiments, 
under colonel Brooke; and the artillery, under major 
Munro, in small vessels. On the morning of the £3d, 
(December) this expedition, having sailed through the 
lake Borgne, landed at the head of the bayou. Under 
the immediate direction of colonel Thornton, a communi- 
cation was opened through the fields of cane, the troops 
advanced upon the high road, surprised and captured an 
American picquet, passed fort Villere, and possessed a 
position on general Villere's plantation, nine miles below 
New Orleans, with their right on the load, and the left 
resting on the Mississippi. In the course of the day, they 
were followed by general Keane, and the remainder of 



OF THE LATE WAR. 349 

the troops, who immediately bivouacked, and were per- 
mitted to sleep in the utmost security. The mansion- 
house of general ViUere, was occupied as the British 
head quarters. 

The promulgation of the loss of the gun boats, and of 
the entne command of lake Borgne, having been theroe 
given to the enemy, produced a scene of bSstle and con- 
tusion in the city of New Orleans, which could only be 
allayed by the ac^vity and energy of the commander in 
chiet. The confidence with wluch he had already in- 
spired the citizens, enabled him to turn this disaster to 
an eventual advantage, and to animate the regulars and 
volunteers, with a patriotic impatience to drive off the 
invaders ot the territory. He instantly despatched ex- 
presses in all directions, sent out messengers to briga- 
dier general Coffee, at Baton Rouge, to come forth with 
his brigade of 2000 mounted volunteers, and made a call 
upon major general Carroll, of the Tennessee, and gene- 
ral Thomas, of the Louisiana militia, to organize and en- 
large their divisions. General Adair was already on his 
march from Kentucky, with 2500 volunteers from that 
state; and before the British could approach the city bF 
land, these forces would in all probability, be concentra- 
ted under the eye of the commanding general. Mean- 
while, all the bayous, canals, and roads leading to and 
trom IScw Orleans, were well reconnoitred, and upon 
those which the general thought to be passable, fortifi- 
cations, breastworks, and other defences, were erected. 
Commodore Patterson was no less active in supplying 
the places of the seamen who had been captured. The 
United States' schooner Carolina, captain Henley, was 
sufficiently manned; but the sloop of war Louisiaiia, had 
not one sixth of her crew on board; and governor Clai- 
borne, who neglected no means of co-operating with the 
arrangements, of major general Jackson, and of givino- 
the utmost facility to the execution of his orders, recom*^ 
mended an embargo to the legislature, to prevent the de- 
parture, in any way whatever, of foreign or native sailors. 
To lieuteiiant C. C. B. Thompson, ot the United States' 
navy, he issued a commission of ca]>tain commandant of 
sea fencibles, to enable him in this trying emergency, to 
press and compel the services of any seamen then'on 
shore. Being clothed with this authority, that officer im- 



350 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

mediately placed himself at the head of a detachment of 
sailors and marines, and pressed a crew in the streets of the 
city, composed of sailors of several nations, speaking difl'er- 
ent languages, and incapable of understanding the orders 
of their commanders, or the words of each other. By the 
ui common exertions of lieutenant Thompson, however, 
whose gallantry rendered hjm not less conspicuous, than 
his fortunate acquaintance with tiie languages of these se- 
parate countries to which the sailors belonged, they were 
in a fortnight brouglit to a good state of discipline. In ad- 
dition to all these preparations, general Jackson pro- 
claimed martial law, and the people of Orleans became 
confident of their ability to resist the British forces. 

Before the occupation of general Villere's ground, on 
the 23d, by general Keane, the Tennessee volunteers 
and militia, had arrived, and were encamped on the left 
bank of the Mississippi, 4 miles above New Orleans. 
Brigadier general Morgan was stationed with 350 of the 
dratted militia of Louisiana, at the English Turn below. 
As soon, therefore, as the advance of major general 
Keane was made known to general Jackson, he ordered 
detachments to be made from the division of general 
Carroll, and the brigade of general Coffee's mounted vo- 
lunteers, and sent round to his own position below the 
city.. These detachments were commanded by generals 
Carroll and Coftee, in person. Being resolved upon at- 
tacking the British in their encampment, general Jack- 
son directed general Carroll to remain on the Gentilly 
road, to provide against tlie enemy's approach from Chef- 
Menteur, and immediately marched with general Car- 
roll's brigade, parts of the 7th and 44th regiments, ma- 
jor Hind's dragoons, some uniform companies of militia, 
under major Plauche, 200 men of colour under major 
Daquin, and a detachment of artillery under colonel 
M'Rea; a force in all not exceeding 1500 men. The Caro- 
lina, commanded by capt. Henley, and bearing the broad 
pendant of commodore Patterson, proceeded down the ri- 
ver, to co-operate in the attack; orders having been first 
given to lieut. commandant Thompson to folio v/ with the 
Louisiana. At 7 o'clock in the evening, the general arrived 
near the enemy's encampment, when he discovered that 
the British force extended nearly a mile along the river, 
and directed gen. Coffee to turn their right, whilst with 



OF THE LATE WAR. SH 

the residue of his troops, he would attack the line on the 
left near the river. Commodore Patterson was first, how- 
evei', to open the fire of the Carolina, as the signal for 
the general assault. This being dor^e, the enemy's troops 
were immediately aroused from the slumber and peace- 
ful security, in which they had indulged. Tlie fire from the 
starboard battery of the Carolina produced a destructive 
effect upon the British flank. General Jackson made a 
prompt advance upon its left, and general CoiVee, who 
had dismoanted his men, to give them a freer and more 
certain use of the rifle, rushed upon its riglit, and threw 
himself within the enemy's encampment. So unexpect- 
ed and disastrous was this attack upon his position, tliat 
the British commander was filled with amazement, and 
for a moment scarcely knew in what manner to give it a 
repulse; but summoning to his immediate assistance, 
that sagacity and military experience, vvliich he could 
not have failed to acquire in his European campaigns, he 
put his troops in motion to resist the nearer approaches 
of his antagonist. The advance of general Coft'ee had been 
made across the plantations of colonel Laronde and ma- 
jor Lacoste, on the latter of which he drove in the pic- 
quet guards, and encountered the British 85th regiment, 
under colonel Gubbin, which did not stand to receive 
more than one fire, when it fell back to the centre of tht 
encampment. General Coffee then filed his division ob- 
liquely to his right, attacked a party of the enemy sta- 
tioned in several small huts, and succeeded in driving it 
also from that position. 

The right division of general Jackson's army was all 
this time engaged with colonel Thornton's light brigade. 
The action commenced with an attack made by the 7th 
infantry, under major Piere, who was immediately joined 
by the 44th, which formed upon his left, under colonel 
Ross. To these were soon added the militia, under ma- 
jor Plauche, Savary's volunteers, and the command of 
major Daquin; and at the moment when this corps took 
its post on the left of the whole line, the conflict was ani- 
mated, desperate and sanguinary. Colonel M'Rea's two 
pieces were also engaged on the extreme right of the 7th 
regiment, and kept up an incessant and eftective fire. Co- 
lonel Thornton's line greatly outflanking the American 



S5Q HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

right division, an attempt was made, without effect, to 
turn the battalion of major Daquin, and an impetuous ef- 
fort to carry the artillery on the other extremity of the 
line. The firmness of Daquin's battalion, and the instan- 
taneous advance of the centre, followed by a charge 
from the 7th and 44th, compelled the enemy gradually 
to retire, and left the division under general Jackson, in 
possession of the ground first occupied by colonel Thorn- 
ton. This was the moment at which general Coffee, 
having felt his way to the Old Levee, near the margin of 
Lacoste's plantation, placed himself almost in the rear of 
the same ground, and annoyed the enemy with great 
Buccess in his retreat. With this repulse, and the re- 
union of the two divisions of the American line, the con- 
test of the 23d terminated. Fortune was running full in 
favour of general Jackson's troops, and he was in eager 
expectation of capturing the whole of the invading divi- 
sion ; but a heavy fog, to which that country is subject^ 
set in, and entirely destroyed his prospects. He there- 
fore condensed his force, remained upon the field all 
night, and early on the morning of the 24th, assumed a 
position of more strength, 2 miles nearer the city. In, 
this action, the Americans lost 213, in killed, wounded, 
and missing. Colonel Lauderdale, of general Coffee's 
brigade, fell at the head of liis regiment in one of the 
charges; colonels Dyer and Gibbon, were each severely 
wounded, and major Kavenaugh fell into the hands of 
the enemy. On the side of the British, whose loss 
amounted to nearly 400 men, several officers were also 
severely wounded. 

The vigour, impetuosity, and decision of this attack, 
upon their first disembarkation, caused the British com- 
manders, even after the increase of their numbers, to ad- 
vance with more caution. They therefore commenced 
the erection of batteries, in order to make their approach- 
es gradual, and destroy the naval force then in the river. 
The Carolina had continued, during the whole course of 
the engagement of the 23d, to discharge her broadsides 
into the enemy's encampment, and succeeded in driving 
from the margin of the shore, the musketry and rocket- 
teers, who had previously been stationed there. At 2, on 
the morning of the 24th, lieut commandant Thompson 



OF THE LATE WAR. ,553 

joined commodore Patterson, with the Louisiana, the 
calmness of the weather havinji; prevented her reaching 
the scene of action before. On that day a northwest 
wind, which blew a heavy gale, prevented either of 
these vessels from proceeding up the river, to anchor 
abreast of the position, at which general Jackson had 
posted himself; and its prevalence during the 25th and 
26th, together with the sudden rise of the river, and the 
strength and rapidity of the current, compelled the com- 
modore to remain all that time before the enemy. This 
he did not, without keeping up an occasional fire from 
both vessels. The British were in the mean time, em- 
ployed in erecting furnaces for hot shot, immediately 
abreast of the Louisiana and Carolina. On the 26th, 
commodore Patterson, in obedience to the wishes of ge- 
neral Jackson, left the Carolina, and proceeded to New 
Orleans, to man and arm as many merchantmen, as 
might be fitted to bear the weight of heavy cannon, and 
to , support him with such a squadron, until the line of 
breastworks, at his new position, should be completed. 
Captain Henley, and lieutenant commandant Thompson, 
therefore, made every effort to remove from the anchor- 
age opposite the enemy's batteries, but their attempts 
were abortive, and on the morning of the 27th the bat- 
tery nearest the Carolina, opened with hot shot and 
shells. The second shot lodged in the main hold, under 
the cables, in a situation too intricate to be approached, 
and she immediately took fire, which increased so rapid- 
ly, that captain Henley, being fearful about the explo- 
sion of her magazine, gave orders to the crew to aban- 
don her. The event justified the captain's apprehen- 
sions, for he had scarcely reached the shore, opposite the 
enemy, with tlie loss of one man killed, and six wounded, 
when she blew asunder. The Louisiana then sustained 
the whole fire, until her situation became extremely dan- 
gerous. To have lost her, would have been to lose the 
whole co-operative naval force, and lieutenant comman- 
dant Thompson attempted to get up the river, under the 
favour of a light breeze. His ettbrts were, however, con- 
stantly baffled, until his skilful management rose supe- 
rior to the obstacles by which he was surrounded, and he, 
at length, succeeded in getting her near general Jackson's 
position. 

Gg2 



354 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

After the destruction of the Carolina, the enemy moved 
upon this position, which general Jackson had been in- 
cessantly strengthening with artillery, and some rein- 
forcing detachments. Major general sir Edward Packen- 
ham had previously landed with the reserve of the army, 
and superintended the present movement in person. At 
the distance of 800 yards from the line of defence, sir 
Edward commenced his attack, upon the morning of the 
£8th, by throwing bomb shells and rockets, opening a 
heavy and continual cannonade, and gradually advancing 
upon this position, with the left column under general 
keane, in tront, and hoping to compel general Jackson 
to retire to the city. The batteries at the line Jackson 
were immediately opened, and general Keane's column 
obliged to seek protection behind some houses, which 
are scattered in the field near and about the Levee. 
Several heavy pieces were planted by the enemy, under 
cover of which sir Edward intended to storm the Ame- 
rican works. From two guns there, however, liis column 
was kept in check, and he was chiefly employed in throw- 
ing shells upon the Louisiana, with the fragments of 
which her decks were covered. As the British advanced 
upon the works, lieutenant Thompson sprung the ship 
so as to bring her starboard broadside to bear upon, and 
enfilade the column. From eight guns, he kept up so in--^ 
cessant and destructive a fire, that in several hours 100 
round's were discharged from each ; and after a violent 
struggle, of that length of time, to dislodge the American 
troops, the enemy was forcibly repulsed, and withdrevv' 
beyond the reach of immediate annoyance. Here, again, 
as may more naturally be supposed, the Americans, being 
protected by breastworks, tiie loss of the enemy very 
far exceeded that of general Jackson's camp. He is re- 
ported to have lost upwards of 250 men, whilst the Ame- 
rican loss amounted to 17; 9 of whom were killed and 8 
wounded. Amon^ the killed was colonel Henderson, of 
general Carrol's division of Tennessee militia, which had 
just before encamped at the line. He had been sent out 
of the left extremity of tlie works, to drive off' a party 
of the enemy, who had made a lodgment near the wood, 
and was killed in the first eft()rt to execute this order. 
Among the wounded was major Carmick, of the marine 
coips, whose horse and himself were wounded by a Con- 
greve rocket. 



OF THE LATE WAK. 355 

Having still further enlarged his forces, by new de- 
tachments of sailors, soldiers and marines, and finding 
that he had not yet made any impression upon the un- 
finished breastworks, sir Edward Packenham lost no time 
in the construction of batteries, and the planting of heavy 
pieces of cannon. The American general was no less in- 
dustrious, in enlarging and improving his means of de- 
fence, and each was exercising his military energies, un- 
der the harassing fire of the other. On the 30th Decem- 
ber, commodore Patterson opened a 24 pounder battery, 
which he had secretly erected on the night of the 29tn, 
on the extreme right of the line, and so situated, as to 
bear upon the Old Levee, and any part of the field. The 
effect of this fire, united to several rapid discharges from 
the Louisiana, upon the enemy's advance, drove the Bri- 
tish from their works. On the 31st two 12 pounders were 
landed from the Louisiana, and mounted behind the Le- 
Tee. On that day, sir Edward Packenham kept up a can- 
nonade for several hours, and received a continual return 
of artillery and musketry. 

Early on the morning of the first of January, 1815, 
sir Edward having in the course of the preceding nip;ht 
erected two formidable batteries, commenced a discharge 
of heavy cannon, shells, and Congreve rockets, much 
more animated and successful than any other with which 
they had assailed the American works. Several gun car- 
riages within camp Jackson, were destroyed, and con- 
siderable damage done to the guns themselves. The 
head quarters of the commanding general sustained the 
shock of numberless rockets and balls, and the enemy 
was paraded in the ditches near his batteries, in readi- 
ness to storm the work, as soon as the cannon should be 
silenced. The explosion of a magazine at one moment 
gave them a hope, that the garrison was dispirited and 
nearly overcome; but at the next, the rapid and tremen- 
dous discharge of artillery, evinced the determined cha- 
racter of the brave volunteei-s. A second attempt was 
made to reconnoitre the left of the works, resting on the 
woods, with a view to turn the extreme left battalion 
of general Coffee's biigade. But the party detached 
for that purpose, returned to sir Edward with infor- 
mation of the impracticability of such an assault upon, 
that extreniity of the line. He, nevertheless, continued 



356 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

the cannonade upwards of five hours, and forwarded his 
heaviest pieces in advance of his main body. At the 
end of that time, he fell back to his encampment, and 
adopted a measure by which to reduce the place. The 
Louisiana did not participate in this engagement, be- 
cause it was discovered that the enemy had erected se- 
veral batteries on the edge of the river, from which they 
intended to throw hot shot into her, and commodore 
Patterson, therefore, ordered her to be kept without the 
range of shot, and her men were landed to assist at the 
batteries. 

General Jackson's encampment was now every day 
strengthened by numbers. Major general Villere, the 
present governor of Louisiana, had arrived on the 30th 
and 31st, with a division of Louisiana militia; major ge- 
neral Thomas, commanding a second division of 500 
men, encamped at the close of the 1st of January, in the 
rear of the works; and on the 4th, general Adair's divi- 
sion of Kentucky militia, amounting to upwards of 2200 
men, not one half of whom were armed, reported to the 
commander in chief, and were stationed on the planta- 
tion of Langiiille, with the exception of a detachment of 
700 men, who were placed upon the line. General Mor- 
gan had, previously to the battle of the 28th, been direct- 
ed to withdraw his troops from the English Turn, and to 
post himself on the right bank of the Mississippi, imme- 
diately opposite general Jackson's line. In addition to 
these dispositions of his troops, who now amounted to 
3846, including the batteries on both sides of the river, 
the general had caused several successive lines of in- 
trenchments and breastworks to be formed in his rear, as 
places of retreat, in the event of the enemy's successfully 
scaling the parapet of his present works. 

Before the eighth of the month, general Jackson had 
eight distinct batteries constructed, mounting in all 12 
guns, of dift'erent calibre, the largest however being a 32 
pounder, under command of lieutenant Crawley, late of 
the Carolina. The works were one mile in extent, from 
the river to the Cypress Swamp, and terminated in a bend 
to the left of about 200 yards. On the right of these 
works were stationed the 7th regiment, major Plauche, 
major Lacoste, and major Daquin's battalions, and the 
44th regiment, amounting in all to 1389 men, and com- 



or TUE LATE WAK. 357 

niajided by colonel Ross of the 44th; the centre was 
composed of general Carroll's, and part of general 
Adaii^s division, and amounted to 1600 men; on the 
left was stationed the command of general Coffee, whose 
brigade consisted of 500 men ; so that the whole line was 
defended by 3489 men. On the opposite side, the 
works erected by general Morgan were defended by 276 
of the Louisiana contingent, 176 of the 2d or colonel 
Cavalier's regiment, and the 1st and part of the 6th, 
comprising 110, under colonel Degian, the whole amount- 
ing to 546 men. To these were added, on the night of 
the 27th, a reinforcement of 500 men, from general 
Adair's Kentucky militia, under colonel Davis. Com- 
modore Patterson erected further batteries on the same 
side of the river, to annoy the approach of the enemy, 
if he should attempt it, along the Levee on the right bank 
of the river, and in the line which covered general Mor- 
gan's troops were planted one 12-pounder, and two brass 
sixes. 

Sir Edward Packenham, having been reinforced by 
his fusileers, and the 4Sd infantry, which augmented his 
strength to 12000 regulars, and 2000 seamen, and having 
at intervals, during the night, between the 1st and the 
8th of the month, stien^tliened his battery, with heavy 
pieces of cannon, determined on a vigorous assault upon 
the American works on both sides of the river. With 
this view, colonel Thornton, to whom was entrusted the 
attack upon general Morgan, was to cross the Mississippi, 
in boats and launches, which had been transported tor 
that purpose, during the night, with a corps consisting of 
the 85th light infantry, 200 seamen, and 400 marines, 
the 5th West India regiment, and 4 pieces of artillery. 
The assault upon the works commanded by general 
Jackson, was to be made in two divisions. The right 
under major general Gibbs, and composed of the 4th, 
21st, and 44th regiments, was to attack the centre of the 
works; and major general Keane, was to lead the 3d 
brigade, composed of the 43d, the 9Sd, and parts of the 
95th, and the fusileers, on the road on the river side, to 
the attack of the extreme right. The reserve was con- 
stituted of the first brigade, and commanded by major 
general Lambert. To cover this operation, an advanced 
battery, of six 18-pounder?, was thrown up during thf 



358 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

night of the 7th. General Jackson was apprised of this 
intended movement, by the unusual stir and bustle which 
was perceptible in the British camp, and made provision 
for the reception of tlie assailants. Colonel Thornton 
could not effect a landing at the contemplated point, but 
being thrown 2 or 3 miles below, a delay of several 
hours took place, and the attack was not, as the British 
general intended it should be, simultaneous. 

The engagement commenced, however, on the left 
bank, early on the morning of the 8th, by an unusual 
shower of bombs and Congreve rockets; the new batte- 
ries opened, and sir Edward strove in vain to effect a 
breach, or to demolish the parapet. His fire was vigor- 
ously returned from the eight batteries, but he, notwith- 
standing, ordered his two divisions to advance, which 
they did with an intrepidity seldom equalled, and ex- 
pected to plant their scaling ladders and fascines. The 
6th, 7th and 8th batteries, covered by general Carroll 
and genetal Adair, who succeeded general Thomas, and 
supported by general Coffee's riflemen, kept up a rapid 
and unusual discharge upon general Gibbs's division, and 
sweeping it from right to left, compelled him very soon 
to recoil in confusion. The most active efforts were im- 
mediately made to rally the troops, and bring them up 
to a second assault, and in this act, sir Edward Packen- 
ham, who had rode to the front to animate his men, re- 
ceived two wounds, one of which struck him on the knee, 
and the other, a cannon ball, pierced his body, and cut 
him to pieces. Major general Gibbs, however, again 
led up the same column, and advanced in good order, to 
a very short distance from the line, where they received 
as animated and destructive a discharge of artillery and 
musketry as before. General Gibbs fell, severely wound- 
ed, and the column again fled in the utmost confusion. 

The division on the right of the works, under general 
Keane, made a very prompt advance upon the redoubt 
there, jumped undauntedly into the ditch, under the fire 
of colonel Ross's command, and by a forcible effort, 
gained the redoubt, by entering the embrasures. Hence, 
being led by their principal engineer, colonel Renee, 
they mounted the breastwoiks, and were certain of vic- 
tory. The 7th regiment fought them with great steadi- 



I 



OF THE aLATE AVAR. 35t) 

ness and perseverance; the batteries, Nos. 1 and 2, and 
the right of the right wing, opened a tremendous fire. 
Colonel Renee, and others, were killed; major general 
Keane severely wounded; and the whole column precipi- 
tately fell back, and retreated in the greatest disorder. 
The ditch was literally filled with their killed and wound- 
ed, and a large proportion of their men made prisoners^ 
As they attempted their retreat along the bank, commo- 
dore Patterson opened the batteries from the opposite 
side, and did very extensive execution. The only general 
otiicer now left upon the field was major general Lan)bert, 
who, promptly coming up with the reserve, vainly attempt- 
ed to check the flight of the attacking columns. The loss 
of three of their generals, whose bodies they saw trans- 
ported from the field, and the immense slaughter which 
the field itself presented to them, argued more powerfully, 
than the commands or persuasions of general Lambert, 
and he was forced to take a position out of reach of the 
American line. The fire, nevertheless, did not cease, but 
being directed against the British batteries, continued un- 
til 2, P. M. and eventually silenced them. The assault 
was then entirely abandoned, and general Lambert fell 
back to the original position, to consult the admiral as to 
the prosecution of future operations. The result of the 
conference determined them upon returning to their ship- 
ping with as much order and celerity as possible. But 
before the embarkation could actually take place, the fate 
of colonel Thornton was to be known, and his division 
collected on the left bank of the river. 

When the attack upon the main works was commenced, 
that officer assailed, with great impetuosity, the gun bat- 
tery of general Morgan. The American right flank re- 
tired before him, and his whole attention being turned 
towards the left, a sharp and animated contest followed ; 
but, being deserted by more than half their line, and far 
outnumbered by their enemy, the troops of that flank 
spiked their guns, and left the battery in possession of 
the assailants. 

The success which attended the assault of col. Thorn- 
ton, who was severely wounded, did not however avail 
the British arms: their disaster on the opposite side of 
the river, made it necessary for this division also to re- 



360 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

tire; and, in obedience to the orders of general Lambert, 
colonel Gubbin, on whom the command of Thornton's 
division had devolved, re-crossed the river, and fell back 
upon tlie main body, and before the 18th January, the 
whole army evacuated the shore. 

On the following day, the 9th, admiral Cochrane direct- 
ed two bomb vessels, one sloop of war, a brig, and a schoo- 
ner, to station themselves before fort St. Philip, with a 
view to its bombardment and destruction. On that day 
they commenced an attack, and continued throwing shells 
into the fort until the 17th in the evening, when the com- 
mandant, major Overton, opened a heavy mortar (not until 
then in readiness), and threw the line of ships into such 
disorder, that, on the morning of the 18th, they retired 
to the anchorage of the fleet. 

The expedition, which had been thus extensively plan- 
ned in England, and for the fitting out of which an im- 
mense treasure had been exhausted, was thus resisted, 
and entirely destroyed, by the valour and perseverance of 
a small army, principally made up of volunteers and mili- 
tia, and commanded by a general, whose military career, 
though brilliant, and almost unparalleled, was commenced 
but two years before. The slaughter which attended this 
repulse of the invading army, was, on their side, never sur- 
passed at any other battle. Besides their generals and 
other officers of high rank, the British lost, in killed, 
wounded, and missing, about 4000 men. The American, 
killed, wounded, and missing, did not exceed 500. 

The British fleet, however, continued in the neighbour- 
hood, and on the 10th of February, general Lambert hav- 
ing landed near fort Bowyer, with a large body of his 
troops, demanded of lieutenant colonel Lawrence the sur- 
render of the garrison. In its rear an extensive and heavy 
battery had been planted, and the powerful force by which 
rt was surrounded, made it expedient that the fort should 
capitulate on honourable terms, or that the garrison should 
submit to the sword. Colonel Lawrence chose that line 
of conduct which propriety and humanity dictated, and 
the enemy took possession of the fort. 

On the same day, the British sloop of war Brazen 
arrived off the station, with intelligence that a treaty 
of peace had been concluded between the American 



OF THE LATE WAK. 361 

md British ambassadors at Ghent, which had met the ap- 
probation of the prince regent of England. Not-long af- 
ter, general Jackson was apprised by the secretary ot 
war, of the ratification of the treaty by the president and 
senate, and all hostilities immediately ceased. A regu- 
lar and mutual exchange of prisoners was entered upon, 
and the volunteers and militia were honourably discharg- 
ed, and sent to their homes, with the gratitude and ap- 
plause of their country. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

The JSTavy—Loss of the United States\frigate President 

The 'Cotistitution engages and captures the British 

frigate Cyane^ and sloop of war Levant— Capture of 
the sloop of war Penguin, by the Hornet, 

The blockade of the frigates United States and the 
Macedonian, and the sloop of war Hornet, at New London, 
having continued until the only season at which they 
could possibly escape, had elapsed, the Hornet ^\as or- 
dered to remain at her station as a guard ship, whilst the 
frigates were to be moved up New London river, to the 
head of navigation for heavy vessels, and there to be 
dismantled. Commodore Decatur, and the crew of the 
United States, were transferred to the frigate President, 
theii moored at New York. In the course of the winter, 
a cruise to the East Indies was determined on, at the navy 
department, to be performed by a squa:dron, consisting 
of that frigate, the sloop of war Peacock, then also at New 
York, the sloop of war Hornet, and the Tom Bowline, 
a merchant vessel, bought into the service as a store ship. 
The Hornet was therefore directed to proceed to the 
same harbour. On the night of the 181h November, 
car^tain Biddle nassed the blockading squadron, without 
being; discovered, and joined commodore Decatur at 
New York. That port had been, slso, constantly block- 
aded, and several frigates, sloops of war, and a razee, 
were at that time cruiinno off the Hook. On the 14th ot 
January, commodore Decatur, thinking it more likely to 

Hh 



362 HISTOllICAL SKETCHES 

get to sea, with the President singly, directed captain 
Warrington to follow him, with the Peacock and Hornet, 
as soon as the Tom Bowline was in readiness; and hav- 
ing assigned the island of Tristan d'JJcunho, as the first 
place of rendezvous, proceeded to the bay, with a view 
of escaping from Sandy Hook in the night. In conse- 
quence of the negligence of the pilot, the President struck 
upon the bar, and remained there thumping, upwards of 
two hours. This accident caused her ballast to shift, 
and when extricated from this situation, by the rise of the 
tide, it was discovered that she liad entirely lost her trim. 
The course of the wind forbidding her return to port, the 
commodore determined, nevertheless, upon running out 
to sea, and did not doubt but she would soon recover 
that ease in sailing, for which she had been long celebra- 
ted. At daylight he fell in with the British squadron, 
under captain Hayes, composed of the Majestic (razee), 
the frigates Endymion, Tenedos, and Pomone, and the 
Despatch brig, which immediately gave chase. The Pre- 
sident was lightened as much as possible, but the su- 
perior sailing of the enemy's ships, enabled them to gain 
rapidly upon her, and the leading frigate, the Endymion, 
of 49 guns, and mounting 24-pounders on her gun deck, 
got close under her quarters, and commenced firing. — 
Commodore Decatur, finding that the Endymion was 
cutting up his rigging, without his being able to bring a 
gun to bear, determined to bear up and engage her, and 
if possible, to run her on board, and in the event of car- 
rying her, to sail off and abandon tlie President. But the 
enemy manceuvred to avoid tliis plan, and the conflict 
continued two hours, and ended in silencing and beating 
off the Endymion, with her hull and rigging much cut 
up, h^r masts and spars badly injured, and a great pro- 
portion of her crew killed and wounded. The President 
was a'so considerably damaged, and lost 25 men killed, 
and 60 wounded: among the former, lieutenants Babbit 
and Hamilton, and acting lieutenant Howell; among the 
latter, the commodore, and midshipman Dale, who lost 
a leg, and died of his wounds at Bermuda. By this time 
the rest of the squadron came within two miles of the 
President. The Endymion had hauled off to repair, and 
commodore Decatur made another attempt to escape. But, 
in three hours, the Pomone and Tenedos lay along side. 



OF THE LATE WAR. 363 

and the Majestic and Endymion were within a short dis- 
tance of him. The gallant commodore, not choosing to 
sacrifice the lives of his crew in a useless contest, with a 
squadron of ships mounting not less than 110 guns, re- 
ceived the fire of the nearest frigate, and surrendered. 
He was taken on board the Endymion, to whose comman- 
der he refused to deliver his sword, wiien required, al- 
leging, that if they had 'beert singly engaged, that officer 
would inevitably have been captured, and that he had 
struck to the whole squadron. The enemy, however, as- 
serted that the President had been conquered by the En- 
dymion alone; that her damage was sustained in a storm 
which rose up after the battle ; and having repaired both 
vessels, sent the prize from Bermuda to England, under 
her convoy. There she was lightened, and laid in dock 
along side an old 74, which was deeply laden, to give her 
a smaller appearance in the water than tlie President, 

The United States' frigate Constitution, which had 
been some time repairing at Boston for a cruise, sailed 
fron> that port on the 17th December, still under the C6m- 
mand of captain Stewart, After cruising in various parts 
of the ocean, and in the track for outward and homewaixl 
bound convoys, until the 20th of February, she fell in with 
two strange men of war sail, at ten minutes past 1, P. M. 
on that day. One of these being to windward, was bear- 
ing up for the Constitution, and at 2h.30m. displayed sig- 
nals, and squared away to the westward to join her con- 
sort. The Constitution set every rag in chase, and a few 
minutes before 3, commenced firing from her forward guns 
on the gun deck. At 3h. 15m. the main royal mast of the 
Constitution was carried away, and enabled the enemy*s 
vessels to distance her fire. Before 5, a new royal mast 
was completed, and a little while after the breeze fresh- 
ened, and the ship to leeward tacked to the southward, 
under all sail. At 6, the two ships hauled to, on the lar- 
board tack in line, and in ten m'inutes the Constitution 
ranged aliead of the sternmost, brought her on the quar- 
ter, her consort on the bow, at 200 yards distance, and 
opened a broadside, which was immediately returned. An 
exchange of broadsides continued, until the three ships 
were completely enveloped in smoke, upon the clearing 
away of which, the Constitution found herself abreast of 
the headmost ship, and captain Stewart ordered both sides 



364 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

to be manned, backed topsails, and dropped into his first 
position. The ship on the bow backed sails also. The 
Constitution's broadsides were then fired from the lar- 
board battery, and in a few minutes the ship on the bow 
perceiving her error in getting sternboard, filled away, 
with an intention of tacking athwart the bows of the Con- 
stitution, and the ship on the stern fell off, perfectly un- 
manageable. The Constitution then filled away, in full 
pursuit of the former, came within 100 yards of her, and 
gave her several raking broadsides. She made all sail 
before the wind, with a view to escape, and captain Stew- 
art, knowing her crippled situation would enable him to 
overhaul her at any time, after securing her consort, wore 
round, and ranged along side the latter ship, from which 
a gun was fired to leeward, to signify that she had sur- 
rendered. Possession was then taken by lieutenant Hoff- 
man, of his Britannic majesty's frigate Cyane, captain 
Gordon Falkon, of 34 guns, 32lb. carronades. Her com- 
mander and officers being brought on board, captain Stew- 
art sailed in chase of the other vessel, and in a short time 
discovered her standing for him on the weather bow. In 
a few minutes the enemy fired a broadside, which being 
instantly returned, he tacked ship, made all sail, and at 
that moment received a rake from the starboard broad- 
side of the Constitution. Upon gaining his wake, captain 
Stewart opened a fire from his gun declc chase guns, with 
such effect, that the enemy hove too and surrendered with 
five feet water in his hold, his masts tottering, and nothing 
but ihe smoothness of the sea prevented them from going 
overboard. Lieutenant Ballard was sent on board, and 
took possession of his Britannic majesty's ship Levant, 
captain Douglass, of eighteen S2lb. carronades, and two 
large 12 pounders. The loss on board the Cyane and 
Levant amounted to 40 men killed, and nearly double 
that number wounded; on board the Constitution, where 
no other spar was lost than the fore topgallant yaid, 4 
men were killed, and 11 wounded. 

On the 1 0th of March, captain Stewart, entered the 
harbour of Port Praya with his prizes, and on the 11th, a 
British squadron, consisting of the Leander, sir George 
Collier; the Newcastle, lord George Stewart; neither of 
them c£Lrrying less than 60 guns; and i^e frigi.te Acnsta, 
captain Kerr, of 44 guns, which had sailed from the east- 



OF THE LATE WAR. 365 

erii coast of the United States, in quest of the Constitu- 
tion, appeared oft' its entrance. Captain Stewart imme- 
diately made sail, escaped from the harbour with his 

f squadron, and was closely pursued by the enemy's three 
ships. After a long and perilous chase, the Constitution 
and Cyane escaped their pursuers, and arrived safely in 
the United States; but the Levant, after whom all sail 
was made by the enemy's ships, ran into Port Praya, with 
a heavy fire of broadsides from the Leander and New- 
castle, to put herself under the protection of the neutral 
port. The neutrality of the Portuguese was not regarded 
by the British squadron, however, and they recaptured the 
Levant, ancf carried her into Barbadoes. 

A few days after the departure of the President from 
New York, the Peacock, Hornet, and Tom Bowline, left 
that harbour, without knowing, of her capture. On the 
third day after sailing from Sandy Hook (the 23d of Ja- 
nuary,) the Hornet parted company with the Peacock and 
Tom Bowline, and directed her course towards the island 

'of Tristan d'Acunha, the first designated rendezvous for 

; the squadron. On the 2Sd of March, she descried the 
British brig Penguin, captain Dickenson, of 18 guns, and 

"a 12lb. carronade, to the southward and eastward of the 
island. This vessel had been fitted out, and 12 supernu- 
merary marines put on board, with whom, her crew 
?imounted to 132 men, to cruise for the American priva- 
teer. Young Wasp. Captain Biddle immediately made 
sail, cleared the island, and hove to, until the Penguin, at 
the same time coming down, should be within striking 
distance. At 40 minutes past 1, P.M. the Penguin haul- 
ed her wind on the starboard tack, hoisted English co- 
lours, and fired a gun at musket shot distance. The Hor- 
net immediately luffed to, sent up an ensign, and gave the 

- enemy a broadside. A constant fire was kept up for 15 
minutes, the Penguin all tliat time gradually nearing upon 
the Hornet, when captain Dickenson gave orders to run 
her on board, and was killed by a grape shot before he 
saw them executed. Lieutenant M'Donald, upon whom 
the command of the Penguin then devolved, bore her up, 
and running her bowsprit in betwt^en the main and mizen 
rigging of the Hornet, ordered his crew to board. His 
men, nowever, seeing the Hornet's boarders not only 
ready to repel them, but waiting for orders to jump upon 



366 HISTORICAL SKETCHES 

the Penguin's deck, refused to follow him. At that mo- 
ment the heavy swell of the sea lifted the Hornet ahead, 
and the enemy's bowsprit carried away her mizen shrouds 
and spanker boom, and the Penguin hung upon the Hor- 
net's quarter deck, wi Hi the loss of her foremast and bow- 
sprit. Her commander then called out that he had sur- 
rendered. Though he was not distinctly understood, 
captain Biddle ordered his marines to cease firing, and 
demanded of the Penguin Mhether she had struck. An 
officer of the Hornet discovered a man taking aim at cap- 
tain Biddle, after the surrender, and called to him to avoid 
the fire. He had scarcely done so, when a piusket ball 
struck the captain in the neck, severely wounded him, and 
passed through his coat collar* Two marines, to whom 
the man was pointed out, who had discharged his piece at 
their commander, immediately fired at and killed him, 
before he brought it from his shoulder. The Penguin just 
then got clear of the Hornet, and the latter wore round 
to give the enemy a fresh broadside, when her comman- 
der called out a second time that he had surrendered. 
The severest exercise of authority became necessary, to 
prevent the Hornet's crew, who were incensed at the ene- 
my's firing after she had struck, from discharging the 
broadside. Twenty-two minutes after the commence- 
ment of the action, she was taken possession of by Mr. 
Mayo, of the Hornet. The Penguin was so much injured, 
that captain Biddle determined upon taking out her crew, 
and scuttling her; after doing which, he sent his prisoners 
to St. Salvador in the Tom Bowline, by which vessel and 
the Peacock he was joined on the 25th of the month. In 
this action the Penguin lost 14 men killed, and 28 wound- 
ed; the Hornet, 1 killed^and 11 wounded; among the lat- 
ter, her first lieutenant, Conner, dangerously. 

Having bent a new suit of sails, and repaired his rig- 
ging, captain Biddle was in a perfect condition to pro- 
secute the cruise, and, together with the Peacock, after 
waiting the full time for commodore Decatur, at the 
island of Tristan d'Acunha, sailed on the t2th of April 
for the Cape of Good Hope. On the 27th, they discov- 
ered a British ship of the line, with an admiral's flag. 
The Peacock and Hornet immediately separated, and 
made all sail in different directions from the stranger, 
who came up in pursuit of the latter. The chase com- 



O^ THE LATE WAR. 367 

nieiiced at about two o'clock of the 27th, and continued 
until 10 in the morning of the 30th, during which time 
the enemy's bow guns were continually fired — his vessel 
frequently gained upon, and was as often dropped by tlie 
Hornet; and captain Biddle, after throwing overboard 
every heavy article at hand, and all his guns but one, at 
length effected his escape, and went to St. Salvador for 
the purpose of refitting. On his arrival there, he gained 
intelligence of the conclusion of hostilities, between the 
two nations, and sailing thence, soon after returned to 
the United States about the latter end of July, and was 
promoted to the rank of post captain. 

The capture of the Cyane, the Levant, and the Pen- 
guin, took place before the expiration of the time limited 
by the 2d article of the treaty of peace, to constitute their 
legality, and the only one of them which got into port, the 
Cyane, was taken into the service of the United States. 

Thus terminated a war of two years and eight months, 
in which the naval arms of the United States, were fifteen, 
and those of Great Britain, four times triumphant; and 
during which, the former lost three frigates, seven sloops, 
and five smaller vessels, of war: whilst the latter, lost 
five frigates, nineteen sloops of war, one of which was 
blown up by a land battery, several gun brigs and schoon- 
ers, two brigs cut out from under the guns of a fort, and 
upwards of fifteen hundred merchantmen, captured by 
private armed vessels.' The operations of the American 
armies, were, at the commencement of the war, not c[uite 
so successful: — Defeat, disgrace, and disaster, in many 
instances, followed their movements; but the struggle was 
eventually closed by a succession of achievements, which 
reflected the highest degree of lustre upon the American 
. name, and ranked the United States among the first and 
most independent nations of the earth. 



FINIS. 



Clark ^ EaseVf Printers. 



DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER. 



CrENERAL Brown, face title page. 
Constitution and Guerriere, face page 39. 
Wasp and Frolic, face page 45. 
United States and Macedonian, face Chap. Vl 
Constitution and Java, face page 96. 
Hornet and Peacock, face Chap. XIIL 



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